


Intensity in Ten Cities

by Layora88



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adopted Older Kids, Asshole Customer, Baked Goods, Bakery, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Coffee Shops, Costumes, F/M, Fancy Lattes/Drinks, Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Harassment, Homophobic Language, I promise, Nightmares, Only Briefly - Freeform, PTSD, Parent/Guardian, Pining, Protective Steve Rogers, Recovery, Shy Bucky Barnes, Sweet Tooth Bucky Barnes, bit of angst, coffee shop meet cute, homophobic slur, it resolves itself quickly because Bucky hates bullies, just for a minute, meet cute, sneaky Tony
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2020-07-29 00:44:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 41,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20073352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Layora88/pseuds/Layora88
Summary: Bucky Barnes recovering fic featuring a coffee shop owner with an interesting past. Diana, owner of Diana & CO. is oblivious to the fact that James "Bucky" Barnes has just walked into her shop and her teenage adoptive sons don't exactly plan on filling in the blanks for her any time soon.Bucky is instantly drawn to the woman and her cozy little coffee shop and decides to stick around. Enter a recovering Bucky fic with lots of fluff, a nasty customer and a happy ending...if I ever finish writing it. xP Sorry, I had plans for these two!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Picked this one back up again, no longer labelling it as incomplete because I'm actively working on finishing it. ^^ 
> 
> Come chat with me on Discord! starbucksjunkie#9171
> 
> Don't have Discord? Come talk to me on Tumblr! [ko-fiandfanfiction](www.tumblr.com/blog/layora88)

Bucky cursed under his breath, the Russian sounding harsh even to his own ears as he tossed the covers back and jolted out of bed. His body was drenched in sweat and he shook himself before rushing towards the bathroom, Jarvis turning on lights as he moved through his bedroom. “T-thank you,” Bucky said shakily, nearly stumbling into the bathroom in his haste.

Jarvis didn’t reply and instead turned on the bathroom lights and started up the shower. It was sort of the routine now. Any time he would wake from a nightmare, Jarvis would help him through the recovery, and although it happened less and less often as time went on, it still happened pretty regularly.

Shedding his sleep pants and t-shirt, he stepped into the already warmed shower, dipping his head under the hot spray. The never ending hot water supply at their new compound was amazing and he would forever thank Tony Stark for it…in the privacy of his own mind, of course. Tony’s big head really didn’t need to go getting any bigger.

The water washed over him, dripping down over his body and ridding him of the cold sweat he’d broken out in. He was shaking, minutely, but still shaking nevertheless and he tried to shove the uncomfortable thoughts from his nightmare aside, not wanting them to creep over him and throw him into a panic attack.

He shook his head, wiping the water out of his eyes and smoothing back his hair. He hadn’t looked to see what time it was, but he suspected it was well before 5am. He went through the motions, washing his hair and scrubbing himself down and before long he was back in his bedroom and dressed for the day in a pair of dark wash jeans and a long sleeved black athletic shirt.

He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d get up to this morning, but he figured a walk was in order if he was going to try and shake the uneasiness he felt still lingering at the edges of his mind. It was the beginning of October and he knew the early morning air would be slightly chilly and figured he could just grab a jacket and be alright in the coolness of the early morning.

The rest of their apartment was quiet, Jarvis turning on lights for him as he made his way quietly down the hallway, past the kitchen and through the living room; being careful not to wake Steve who slept just across the hall from him in his own bedroom.

He slipped through the living room and pulled on a pair of boots at the door, grabbing his leather bomber before heading out onto the main floor. It was fairly quiet here too and when he pulled his phone out from his coat pocket, checking the time, he wasn’t surprised to see why; 4:47am.

He huffed, rolling his eyes. Only he would be up at the ass-crack of dawn on a bloody _Monday morning_. Even Tony probably wasn’t awake this early, and if he was, it was only because he hadn’t gone to sleep yet.

Carefully making his way down the stairs, he headed towards the front doors. He stopped in the entryway in front of the decorative mirror hanging above the side table they all seemed to use to stow odds and ends and picked up a black ponytail. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and stared back at himself for a long moment.

He’d changed so much over the years and sometimes he’d be hit with an uncomfortable moment where the recognition of his new self was too startling to deal with. This morning he was okay though and he was grateful for it. He started combing back his still damp hair into a bun with his fingers and soon snapped the elastic in place to hold it back. He liked his longer hair now, no matter how much Clint teased him for it, especially when Natasha or Wanda had taken it upon themselves to braid it for him.

He actually didn’t mind the braids at all. He thought they did a good job keeping it out of his face. Always out of his face. He never did enjoy having it hanging in his eyes. He made eye contact with himself in the mirror one last time and pushed out a slow breath, willing the tension to bleed from his shoulders just a bit before he slipped out the door and into the cool New York early morning.

It didn’t take long for his feet to pick up their familiar path into the city. He’d done it dozens of times by now, but after nearly twenty minutes of walking, he decided to take a different course. He slipped down an alleyway between a couple of restaurants, wanting to cut across to the next street a bit faster. He was careful, picking his way around the couple of dumpsters and trash bins stowed aside for the businesses that backed onto the alley and by the time he’d made it to the other side, stepping out onto the sidewalk, he was finally able to drag in a breath.

Alleys could get pretty stinky, _who knew?_

He’d barely made it two feet to the left before the light of one of the business’ across the street drew his attention. He blinked in confusion, his eyes focusing on the store front, its big bay glass window lit up inside. It was a coffee shop and all the lights seemed to be on. His brow furrowed as he looked across the street and it couldn’t be called an empty street, for there were a couple of taxis loitering, a few people walking wherever the hell they were walking to so early in the morning.

It was New York after all, the city that never sleeps.

He glanced around, making sure the way was clear before he cut across the street and headed towards the shop. He didn’t really recognize the area and with it being so close to the compound, it was a wonder he hadn’t stumbled upon the shop before. He couldn’t see anyone inside, however, and as he wandered closer, he wondered if maybe they’d forgotten to turn their lights out the night before; especially since he didn’t see an open sign on.

He shifted slightly as he drew closer to the window and peered inside, his eyes scanning the interior. For what, he didn’t really know. It looked like a cozy sort of place, done up in blacks, dark browns and cream colours. There were several small tables set up just inside with an electric fireplace burning off in one corner with a couple of oversized chairs facing it as well as a couple of lower coffee tables. There were display cases, mostly empty, though he thought he could spy a few treats already lining their shelves.

He smiled inwardly to himself. He always had been a sucker for sweets. Beyond the display cases and front counter where an ornate register sat, he could also see a large open kitchen. Towards the right there were a few wooden tables, what looked like ovens, a stove top, a sink and a few other appliances, including a _beast_ of an espresso machine. Or at least, that’s what he thought it was. He hadn’t quite seen anything like that one before, not even Tony’s shiny espresso machine looked anything relatively close to it, in size or appearance.

Along the left side of the kitchen though, there was a stainless steel table with a desktop computer set up, a pile of books, papers and a closed laptop and what appeared to be the remains of a partially finished breakfast, coffee mug too. _A workstation then_. He thought to himself.

He blinked in surprise, when suddenly someone was walking through the open kitchen and across to one of the ovens. It was a woman. A very _cute_ woman, with long wavy hair pulled back in a low ponytail that could only be described as caramel coloured; dark near the roots and progressively lighter towards the ends.

He blinked, his gaze following her shapely figure and she was rather shapely. With hips that were curved just right, a little waist and the black apron she was drawing around herself was only aiding in accentuating her features. He wouldn’t mention her breasts…_no_, it was definitely too soon for that.

He swallowed, not really acknowledging the sudden clenching in his gut as he watched her tuck some loose strands of her hair back behind her ear before she was donning a pair of oven mitts and opening up one of the three ovens that lined the far right wall. She bent to pull a tray from inside and Bucky quickly averted his gaze, feeling for all the world an intruder and maybe just a touch creepy.

He waited a beat, glancing up and down the street to see if anyone was watching him, relieved to find that the few people who were milling about were too busy on their cellphones or reading from papers and sipping their morning coffees. When he felt he was in the clear, he turned back to the shop and the woman therein.

She was busy at the glass counter now, setting the muffins she’d just pulled from the oven into the glass case to display. She was singing, or at least, that’s what he thought she was doing. Her no doubt soft lips moving along to whatever song she was singing along to. There were little pieces of paper in the shape of a coffee cup with each of their respective flavours written in black ink at the front of the case and he let his eyes flicker over them curiously. There must have been at least ten different kinds of muffins and that didn’t include the shelf of pastry titles still to be filled or the cookies or even the _cakes_.

He inwardly groaned, watching as she pulled open a fridge with several cakes and a few other treats stored before she was setting them up on display too. He watched her for a while, the play of a smile on her pretty pink lips, the way her ponytail swayed back and forth as she moved about. She was no longer back behind the counter now, having abandoned the set-up of her display cases to instead pull the chairs down from atop the tables and get ready for the day’s customers.

She was soon wiping down the specials board and replacing it with new ones that consisted of a cappuccino, a muffin and a breakfast sandwich. He was intrigued and he’d be a lying liar if he said it was only for the food. He shifted from one foot to the other, hoping he was still managing to stay well enough hidden from her view. But she appeared to be rather busy with her early morning preparations, so he figured he was safe for the time being.

The woman made her way around the kitchen, tidying up a few things here and there before she went to the sink, glancing up at herself in the mirror just above it. He watched as she stared back at her reflection, unmoving save for the steady rise and fall of her chest with each breath beneath her apron.

She was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans from what he could tell and a three-quarter length sleeved cream shirt and the black apron she had put on had a simple coffee cup outlined in cream on the front. As she looked down into the sink in front of her, she pulled her hair free of her ponytail and gathered it back into a higher ponytail this time. She slipped the elastic she’d had about her wrist firmly in place and gave herself another quick once over.

He wasn’t sure what kept him pinned in place for so long. He thought maybe it was the cute way she pouted at her own reflection a second later and licked her thumb, wiping away a smudge of something that looked like flour high on her cheek or just the way she continued to smile, even while singing along to her music. It must have been close to half an hour of him just standing around watching her make her morning preparations. He felt all the worse for it too.

“You’re such a creeper, Buck,” He muttered to himself, pulling out his phone and checking the time.

5:28am…Steve wouldn’t even be up yet. Though by 6am, he’d be up and out of the compound on his morning run.

He wondered what time she opened and he glanced up at the name he’d seen on the front of the small building. _Diana and Co._ The corner of his mouth twitched. He wondered if that was her name. She _looked_ like she could be a Diana. He bit his lower lip, gaze straying over to the old wooden door to the cafe. There were hours posted, but from where he was standing, he couldn’t quite make them out.

He glanced back inside and watched as the woman busied herself at the beast of an expression machine, doing whatever she needed to do to get it up and running and he figured he was safe to get a proper look at the hours posted while she was distracted.

So, being super stealthy-he was, _after all_, a master assassin-he took a couple of steps closer to the door and read the sign. _Well, would you look at that._ He thought to himself. _They open at 5:30am_. He blinked, glancing back towards the window, only to find the young woman looking through the glass from behind the now full display counter, gaze fixed solely on him.

He blinked in surprise. He’d been found out and he didn’t even know if he wanted to go in, but then she was _smiling_ at him and beckoning him inside and _Christ_, he couldn’t very well run away now! He’d been intending on scoping the place out for a few days before even daring set foot inside, if you could believe it. But now he didn’t really have a choice in the matter, did he?

He glanced down at the old fashioned iron handle and as he went to take hold of it, the metal of his hand caught his attention and he pulled on the glove he’d had stashed in his pocket to cover it up. He pushed down the uncomfortable thoughts about why he’d done that and grasped the handle with his right hand, pushing open the door.

He was immediately met with the strong aroma of coffee beans, cinnamon and baked goods and his mouth filled up with saliva so fast, he had to swallow. And then the music hit him and it was not what he had expected, not _at all_.

It was odd. He didn’t think he’d ever heard music quite like it. Not even in Tony’s lab. He had to mentally shake himself, watching as she went to her computer and lowered the volume to nearly nothing. “Good morning,” The woman greeted cheerily, having moved to the counter next to the display case, wiping her freshly washed hands on a tea-towel.

He couldn’t help noticing as he took a couple of steps into the cafe that she’d missed more flour on the side of her face and somehow a splotch of what looked like chocolate on her neck. He thought it was adorable and some secret part of his brain was whispering; _wouldn’t you like to lick it off?_ Of course he shoved that into a box and then into another box for the time being...maybe to be explored later when he could actually think properly.

“Good morning,” Bucky returned, hoping his smile looked natural and not at all nervous; the butterflies in his stomach were fluttering anxiously already.

“I haven’t seen you around here before, is this your first time at _Diana’s?_” She asked, her voice sweet like melted chocolate.

She leaned her elbow against the top of the display to her left as she regarded him and he felt drawn to her in a way he couldn’t quite understand. He took a few more steps towards her and now that he was much closer to her, he could really make out the colour of her hair and it did look every bit the caramel, nutmeg and coffee colours that he was sure made up most of her recipes.

She was pretty, _gorgeous_ even, and he was hard pressed to say he’d ever seen a pair of eyes as dark as her chocolate depths were. “Yeah-“ He breathed, barely able to contain his awe. “I don’t live far from here, but I uh, don’t get out much, apparently,” He added lamely, a dry chuckle escaping him.

She smiled at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling adorably and there was a sparkle there, shimmering in the flecks of amber around her pupils. He wondered how old she was, she couldn’t be older than himself, _er_, if you didn’t take into account all the years of cryo he’d endured. “_Ah_, then I’ve got to work extra hard at pleasing my new customer,” She said teasingly. “What do you typically like to drink for your morning coffee? Or are you a tea drinker?”

He gave her a timid smile, his voice coming out a tad shy. “I like coffee and tea, though lattes have always been my favourite.”

She positively beamed at him. “_Please_ tell me you like sweet lattes.”

He quirked a brow at her curiously, his smile growing just a touch more confident. “I…might have a thing for sweet things in general.”

And of course he realized what he’d said the second he’d said it and felt like he was the biggest dork ever, because he _really_ hoped he’d not just made a fool of himself and somehow let on to the fact that he was completely _enamoured_ by her and he had barely even _spoken_ to her. He knew little to nothing about her. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to know more.

But then she laughed, bright and happy and _genuine_ and he was in trouble. Oh _boy_ was he ever in trouble. “_Ohh!_ Do I ever have a treat for you then. You just wait right here,” She insisted, obviously excited as she pulled herself away from the counter and went towards the _Beast_ as Bucky was sure he’d later coin it.

He could do nothing other than what she’d asked. He stood exactly where he was, watching her fiddle with the machine as she started grinding the espresso beans and packing them into the portafilter to compress them. Soon she was steaming the milk and all the while Bucky watched her in awe. She was quick, fluid and seamless in her movements and she surprised him when she suddenly turned and asked over her shoulder, “For here or to go?”

“Here,” He managed to croak, hoping he didn’t look as awestruck as he currently felt.

She smiled again, still sweet, nodding as she picked up an oversized black coffee mug and set it down beside her. She picked up some kind of sauce bottle and drizzled a bit around the edges of the mug before grabbing a few shakers of things he couldn’t quite decipher and then she was adding a couple of them directly to the steamed milk and stirring them in with a spoon.

After that, she poured the espresso into the mug, added the hot milk and spices and then topped it off with whipped cream from the fridge and on top of _that,_ added more spices from the shakers she’d gathered.

“_Voila!_” She announced, picking up the steaming hot latte as she made her way back over to the counter and subsequently, him.

Bucky looked down at the mug offered to him and smiled curiously before reaching out and tentatively taking it from her outstretched hands. “Thank you,” He murmured, gaze flicking back towards her pretty face. “W-what is it?” He asked, her hands falling away once he’d gotten a good grasp on it.

He couldn’t help noticing the way her eyes darted towards his gloved hand and he swallowed hard to push down the sudden nervous lump that wanted to lodge itself in his throat. “Take a sip first and then I’ll tell you. But be careful, it’s going to be really hot,” She warned gently, that twinkle still in her eyes.

His lips quirked again, wanting to truly smile. “No kidding,” He teased.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh _great_, you’re going to be one of _those_ customers. Just what I need,” She teased back.

He chuckled, shaking his head at the banter before blowing lightly on the drink, taking in the dark flecks of what looked like nutmeg and maybe cinnamon on top of the whipped cream. He thought he could smell caramel too and he tentatively raised the mug to his lips before taking a careful sip.

He closed his eyes the second he’d tilted the mug, letting the hot liquid just barely touch his tongue to gauge the temperature. When he found that it was indeed hot, but not scalding; he took a bigger sip, along with some whipped cream.

The pleased hum-that he would later deny had been anything more than a hum and had _certainly _not been a _groan-_that escaped him was embarrassing enough that he cut it short and quickly lowered his mug. _Okay_, so it was amazing. He swore he could taste caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe even some kind of chai in there too and _Christ_ it was sweet in the best kind of way and he thought he could drink this _forever_.

“_Well?_” She suddenly prompted, a nervous smile gracing her pretty pink lips as she watched him intently. “What do you think?”

His gaze snapped back to her, noting the slight flush to the tops of her cheeks and the eagerness reflected in her eyes. She truly wanted to know what he thought about the drink and was eager to see if he had enjoyed it. She was crazy to ever think that someone wouldn’t enjoy something so delicious, but he did suppose that not _everyone_ liked sweet stuff.

“This is _incredible-_“ He blurted, unable to help himself. “I-I’ve never had anything like this before. What the heck is it?”

She laughed, bright eyed and beautiful and his smile stretched, turning easy and relaxed and he shook his head at her lovely reaction. “It’s sort of a secret…but it’s a new recipe I’ve been toying with. You see, _Starbucks_ likes to make this thing called a _Pumpkin Spice Latte_ and it seems to be all the rage right now and I thought…_I like caramel and spices, why not make a Caramel Spiced Latte instead_?”

Bucky shook his head in disbelief. “A _Caramel Spiced Latte?_ Can’t say I’ve ever heard of one of those before, but I’m sure as hell glad I got to try it. This is amazing, it’s like, the perfect level of sweetness and it’s got that bit of spice and _oh man_-“ He breathed, taking another quick sip and swallowing down the liquid gold. “That _is _chai and _vanilla too!_”

She laughed, pleased with herself, despite the bashful smile and the way she ducked her head and attempted to avert her gaze. “I’m glad you like it so much…” She trailed off, her gaze flicking back up to his face.

Bucky blinked, realizing she was asking for his name and did the only thing he could think of. Lied. “_James._”

Sort of.

_Technically_ it wasn’t really a lie…except he felt like it kinda-sorta was. The only time people tended to call him James were when he was _in trouble_ or you know, being scolded for eating the last slice of Clint’s _special pizza_. He still didn’t know what was so special about it and he figured he never would.

“Diana,” She introduced herself, still smiling tentative, bashful. “It’s nice to meet you, James. So...think I’ve got you hooked?”

“I’ll say-“ He breathed, before he even managed to think about stopping himself.

She laughed, smiling brightly across at him from the other side of the counter and he was so, _so_ screwed. “You’ve definitely earned yourself another regular customer if this is something I can have just about every day,” He tried to recover.

What he really wanted to say was something stupidly cheesy like, _hooked on a sweet little thing like you...the drink’s really just a bonus, sweetheart._ But that would have been incredibly cheesy and _waaay_ over the top and he wasn’t sure he could pull off the whole flirting thing that easy anyway. He knew he used to be good at that sort of thing, remembered bits and pieces of his life before, taking pretty dames out for dinner, desserts, drinks and dancing. But he wasn’t exactly sure that was something he was even remotely capable of doing now.

He was a different person. He didn’t know exactly who he was anymore, but he was slowly figuring it out, thanks to Steve and the rest of the Team. But it was still daunting at times and he didn’t think he was quite ready to get into the whole dating scene...not when he felt like he was still a complete wreck nearly half the time.

Okay, so it should be noted that this is a horrendous exaggeration on Bucky’s part. He was not indeed a complete wreck nearly half the time, maybe like...12% of the time, but that’s what happens when you have a terribly weak sense of self-esteem. It happens to the best of us and he’s getting there, _honest_. But it still takes time and patience and lots of friendly reminders and sometimes, in Steve’s case, a bout of angry yelling and swearing up and down that Bucky is and always will be _everything_ to him and that he is _totally, absolutely, without a doubt, _**_worth it._**

No matter what Bucky ever says or thinks. He will always be worth it.

So there it is...but back to Diana and her lovely voice drawing him back to the present.

“I’m glad to hear you say so. Is there anything else I can offer you? Maybe a breakfast sandwich, muffin, a piece of cake or pastry?” She asked lightly, gesturing towards the display case as well as the board behind her listing all of their breakfast and lunch options.

“Oh, I-I’d love a muffin. Those blueberry ones look pretty delicious,” He agreed, giving her a lopsided smile as he eyed the row of tempting treats.

She laughed lightly, shifting and sliding open the glass back to pull out a muffin. He watched as she picked up a dessert plate, draping a black napkin over the centre of it before she settled the muffin down onto it as well. “You certainly have good taste in treats,” She agreed, presenting him with the plate.

He smiled, shaking his head lightly as he accepted it, only to set it down on the counter between them. “Thanks, how much do I owe you for the latte and muffin?”

She smiled again, that sweet, adorable smile and he watched her eyes light up as she murmured, “It’s on the house.”

Bucky blinked in surprise, a gentle smile tugging at his lips as he tipped his head towards her. “Thank you, that’s not necessary…but something tells me you’re not going to let me pay for it anyway.”

She laughed lightly, shrugging as she turned at the sudden sound of an oven timer going off behind her. “You’re catching on~” She singsonged, waving a hand at him as she went back into the kitchen to save her next batch of what he realized were more muffins.

“Go have a seat and enjoy your muffin, James. I’ve got to get back to work, but feel free to stick around and if you need it, the wifi password is ‘_Diana is a dork_’ no spaces and all lowercase,” She went on, grinning when she saw the quirked brow he was giving her.

He shook his head, about to ask her about that, when the door behind him opened, the bell chiming above it to announce a new customer. “It’s a long story, but I blame the boys,” She laughed.

It was on the tip of his tongue as he started to move aside for the new customer, but then the newcomer was greeting Diana and he decided he’d maybe ask later. He was curious about who the _boys_ were exactly, but maybe she’d share that with him later…if he decided to press…and you know, come by again.

Let it be known that he was going to come by again. So he settled in on one of the oversized leather chairs by the electric fireplace and made himself comfortable. He tried to keep to himself, enjoying his muffin and latte and after a while he pulled out his phone to fiddle around with; all the while surreptitiously watching as Diana conversed with the young man who’d come in and then the next one and soon she was greeting customers pretty regularly.

It was nearing on 6:30am when a door at the back of the kitchen by a set of stairs popped open and out stumbled two men, groaning and yawning in unison. They were both blonde haired and blue eyed young adults. They couldn’t have been older than twenty, maybe twenty-one and they looked _very_ tired. “_Dyyyy-_“ The taller of the two whined, snagging the unsuspecting woman around the waist as she leaned over her workstation, gaze intently focused on her computer screen.

She startled a bit, then laughed as the younger man buried his face against her shoulder and let out a very big yawn. “Carter!” She laughed, squirming away from him and elbowing him in the side. “Good morning to you, sleepyhead. Put this on,” She directed, picking up an apron from one of the stools next to the table she’d been working at.

He pouted, glancing over at the other young man who’d come upstairs with him. “If I have to work before breakfast, than so does Becks.”

The other blonde, who appeared slightly younger rolled his eyes, already picking up another apron from a hook by the door he’d entered through, slipping it on before coming over and pecking a kiss on Diana’s cheek. Diana simply smiled, pressing a kiss of her own to his cheek before motioning them over towards the register.

“I’ll make you both breakfast if you’ll just man the front for a few minutes. Omelette or French toast?” She asked, already moving towards the stovetop.

Of course they both blurted one of each and she stared them down with a very unimpressed look for all of five-seconds. “I meant to say omelette,” Carter muttered, giving the other an exasperated smile.

“That’s what I thought,” Diana sighed, turning back to the stove and missing the look the two men shared with one another; though they didn’t miss her smile.

Just then about half a dozen or so customers bustled inside and the two men found themselves bombarded with drink orders and requests for muffins and lots of other breakfast goods. Diana continued to prepare them breakfast, however, knowing that they’d have it covered and would ask if they needed any help.

And Bucky was really at a loss. There were these young twenty-some odd year olds with this woman who couldn’t be _that_ much older than them and yet, they’d both been rather affectionate towards her and she them. At first he thought that maybe Carter, whose name he had overheard, who’d hugged and nuzzled up with her was her boyfriend, but then she’d gone and kissed the other, even _younger_ man’s cheek and he really wasn’t sure what to think.

_Maybe she liked them young?_ He wasn’t one to judge, but somehow that didn’t seem right either. He mentally shook himself, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see Diana flipping an omelette and casting a glance towards the two men in question. He wondered at the other name he’d heard, _Becks,_ and didn’t have to wonder for very long.

“Beckett!” A young woman laughed, rolling her eyes as she shoved at his arm.

The younger of the two had popped around in front of the counter to wipe down a table and had stopped to talk to a petite brunette. She was blushing, her cheeks incredibly rosy as she looked up at the blonde as he leaned on the table smiling dopily at her. “_What?_ You do look really pretty this morning and well, every morning for that matter,” He defended, smiling fondly at the young woman.

“_Gosh_, how can you just _say_ things like that?” She chuckled, covering her mouth to stifle her giggle.

Beckett grinned. “It’s the truth.”

“_Becks_, get your butt back over here and stop tormenting Mary. Her poor cheeks can’t possibly get any redder, so let her alone,” Diana called over her shoulder, smiling fondly at him.

Beckett rolled his eyes, conceding the point as he let his eyes wander over Mary and noted the pretty blush she was sporting. “Alright, alright. _Sheesh,_ gotta get back to work before Momma’ Dy throws a hissy fit-“

“Do _not_, call me Momma Dy, or _so help me-_“ Diana breathed, narrowing her eyes at the young man while she brandished a spatula in his direction.

The blonde rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Mary, watching her sheepish grin. “You’re gonna’ get into trouble,” She told him.

Beckett laughed, shrugging as he pulled himself away from her table, returning back behind the counter to bump hips with Carter who was busy at the espresso machine making a cappuccino and grinning like a lunatic. “You know how much she hates that-“ Carter started, but Beckett quickly interrupted.

“_Oh_, don’t I know it,” He agreed, moving over to link arms with an annoyed looking Diana.

“Come on, Dy. You know I’m only teasing,” He consoled, freeing the spatula from her death grip and moving to grab a couple of plates to rescue his omelette before she got any bright ideas to massacre it; it’d happened on more than one occasion and he really would like to eat an omelette without it being smushed into a bajillion pieces.

Diana pouted. “It’s just…you know how _old_ that makes me feel.”

Beckett blinked, schooling his face into the most innocent expression he could manage. “_Oh Diana_-“ He breathed. “But you don’t look a day over 35.”

She blinked, her cheeks suddenly flushing and then she was grabbing the spatula from his hand and smacking him on the arm with it…_repeatedly_. “Why you little!” She gasped, obviously _very _unimpressed_._

Beckett was laughing hysterically by this point, despite his trying to get away from her swats and Carter was grinning as he tried not to laugh and ignore the pair of them as he attempted to take a customer’s order. “I’m sorry!” Beckett cried, practically cowering as she smacked his side with the spatula, getting egg all over him. “_I take it back!_ You’re 29 forever, _right!?_ I got that right, _didn’t I?_” He tried to apologize through his uncontrollable laugher as he looked to Carter for help.

Carter just smirked, shaking his head as he tried to keep his full attention on the young man in front of him that was clearly distracted by the little fit happening in the kitchen. “Sorry about them,” He apologized, handing over a chocolate chunk muffin, laughing lightly when the young man just shrugged, giving him a timid smile as he handed over a five.

“_Damn right I’m 29_,” Diana muttered, ceasing her swatting now that Beckett was successfully in a crumpled heap on the kitchen floor.

“Not a day older,” Beckett wheezed, still trying to catch his breath.

Bucky didn’t realize it at the time, but he was grinning from ear to ear. He’d watched the entire exchange with an idiotic smile on his face and as soon as he did realize, he quickly picked up his latte and took another sip to hide it. Whatever the three of them were, he definitely wanted to figure it out.

“Just for that, you get to clean the ovens today and don’t even _think_ about asking Carter for help. He’s the only good help around this place and I really wish you’d be more like your brother, but I know, _I_ _know_. I’m asking for too much!” Diana tutted, not entirely able to stifle her amused smirk when she caught sight of Bucky watching them over the rim of his coffee mug.

He flushed, quickly looking away and completely missing the way both Carter and Beckett followed Diana’s gaze towards his table. He also missed the thirty-seconds of recognition and startled disbelief shared between the two young men as they glanced back and forth between each other, then to Bucky and then back to Diana who was putting their omelettes on a couple of plates for them.

They were quickly being distracted, however, when she called them over to sit down and told them she’d take over watching the front while they ate their breakfast. As they slipped onto their stools by the desktop computer, carefully shifting some of the books and paperwork out of the way, they shared a very pointed look with one another before leaning in to whisper to each other as inconspicuously as possible.

“Is that who I think it is?” Beckett muttered quietly, hiding behind his cup of coffee.

Carter cleared his throat, lifting his own mug to his lips. His eyes darted back to the table where Bucky sat and he inhaled sharply before turning his gaze back to his omelette. “I’m pretty sure, yeah.”

“_Christ-_“ Beckett breathed. “D-do you think she knows who it is? I didn’t serve him, did you?”

Carter shook his head, letting out a breath. “Me either. Pretty sure he’s been there for a while though. I didn’t even notice him. There’s no way she’s figured it out.”

Beckett nodded, cutting up his omelette and starting in on it. “So…what the hell is he doing here?”

Carter shrugged, glancing as inconspicuously as possible towards the man’s table. “Getting coffee?”

Beckett barked out a surprised laugh, nearly choking on a bite of his omelette. “Y-yeah, how about that?”

Carter rolled his eyes. “I’ve done a lot of reading about him. I think it’s kind of amazing to have him in our cafe, I mean, he’s the longest surviving POW and just…the _shit _he’s been through is just _awful_. I can’t even begin to imagine, let alone _comprehend_ what he’s gone through and to just _be here_…”

Beckett nodded, looking down into his cup of coffee. “I remember watching the trial he went through last year. Can’t believe the shit they tried to pull over on him. Treatin’ him like a criminal when he’s been a victim nearly all his life,” He shook his head in ager, pushing out rough a breath.

“Yeah,” Carter breathed, glancing towards Diana who was busy laughing lightly as she leaned on the counter chatting with one of the young university girls from Mary’s table.

“If Captain America stood up for him, you know he’s a good guy, Carter,” Beckett murmured, nudging him gently with his elbow.

Carter nodded, gaze flickering back towards Bucky who was watching Diana laugh, a timid smile tugging at the brunette’s lips. “Yeah,” He simply repeated.

.

“Hey, so, I’ve got a silly question,” Diana announced quietly sometime later as she shifted on her stool at her computer.

She was clicking around on YouTube for a solution to her inadequate cream cheese icing and wasn’t having any luck. So when Carter leaned over her shoulder to get a look at the screen and huffed, “Still can’t get your icing to come out right?” It was the only plausible question that that’s what she had been intending to ask. Or so he thought.

So when she turned and grimaced slightly, avoiding his eyes, he realized he’d been dead wrong. “Well, yeah, I’m still stuck on making it taste as good as it looks. But no, that’s not what I was going to ask,” She whispered.

The whisper was new. Diana rarely whispered unless it was to talk about a customer behind said customer’s back and that was a rare thing, however, it was something that they’d all apparently taken part in as of late. “_Okay_…?” He prompted curiously.

She huffed, glancing back at the screen and scrolling through the list of videos. “I was going to ask if the brunette was still sitting by the fire.”

Carter blinked, casually turning and scanning the cafe for said brunette. He already knew who she was referring to, but he figured he’d have a bit of fun anyway. “Uh, you mean _tall, dark and broody?_” He asked teasingly, gaze flickering over to the aforementioned brunette who was tapping away on his phone.

Diana rolled her eyes. “I was going to say _tall, dark and handsome_, but sure, I guess he does look kind of broody, in a nice way.”

“In a nice way,” He repeated, chuckling.

Diana rolled her eyes again and he smirked. “No, he left _ages_ ago. Why do you ask?” Carter lied.

Diana blinked, her expression barely able to contain her disappointment. _Bingo_. He thought, biting his lower lip and elbowing her. “He’s still here, you dork.”

Diana pouted. “You’re not nice. I just wanted to know if he was still here, is all. And his name is James.”

Carter tried very hard to hide his smirk as he cleared his throat. “You don’t say?”

“You don’t say, what?” Beckett suddenly chimed in, sidling up next to them and knocking his older brother with his hip.

“_Nothing_-“ Diana hastily covered, knowing very well what kind of mischief he might get up to.

She got up from her spot and went about wiping down the baking table to distract herself instead. “_Oh_, it’s definitely not nothing. What’d I miss?” Beckett asked curiously, looking between the pair.

Diana huffed, but gave no further information and Carter rolled his eyes fondly as he gestured vaguely towards where James was sitting. “Did you know his name is _James?_” Carter asked, raising a brow in question.

Beckett tried _very_ hard not to grin as he glanced over at the aforementioned brunette who was currently looking out the big bay window into the busy New York street. “_You don’t say?_” He said, over-exaggerating his words and enjoying when Carter had to stifle his smile. “He looks broody,” He added as more of an afterthought than anything.

Diana scowled and Beckett looked confused when she directed it at him but then Carter burst out laughing. “That’s what I said.”

Beckett smirked, rolling his eyes as he took up Diana’s newly vacated seat. “What about him?” Carter prompted. “You just wanted to know if he was still here?”

Diana sighed, untying her apron and hanging it up with a few others on the back of the pantry door. “He’s a new customer. We talked a little this morning and I just wanted to know if he had stuck around without getting caught looking and now I’m going for a run before I’ve got to prep for lunch, so I wanted to ask you to make sure to pop over and see if he needed anything.”

Carter hummed, glancing towards his brother. “I’ll go check in with him then, see if he needs anything.”

Beckett was chewing his bottom lip, obviously a bit nervous. They’d decided not to acknowledge the fact that they knew who he was. He was clearly just trying to enjoy his morning out and they didn’t want to ruin his first visit to their cafe by being gushing fans or anything.

“Thank you, Carter. I’ll be back in an hour, just going to slip upstairs to change,” Diana reassured, heading towards the back set of stairs that led up to her own apartment.

“No problem, Dy,” Carter acknowledged and she smiled over her shoulder at them before disappearing up the stairs.

Beckett cleared his throat, capturing his brother’s attention. “Good luck~” He singsonged, making a beeline for the register to serve the mom and daughter that’d just walked through the door.

Carter rolled his eyes, smiling fondly as he wiped his hands on his apron and headed around the side of the counter, eyes flickering over the other tables to see if anyone might need anything. He got stuck talking to a couple of regulars for a minute or two, not that he minded. He liked this part of the job, the socializing, making sure everyone was doing alright and enjoying their breakfasts.

By the time he got to Bucky’s table, the brunette was trying very hard to keep his gaze occupied and not appear at all like he’d been watching the younger man flit from table to table, talking with the customers and collecting dishes and such. He seemed good with the customers and well spoken and he wondered truly how old he was. He still looked very young, but he definitely didn’t appear like your typical teenager.

“Well, hi there,” Carter greeted, aiming for casual.

He succeeded, for the most part. “Uh, hey,” Bucky returned.

“Can I get those dishes out of the way for you?” Carter asked, already reaching for the empty plate and mug.

“Oh sure,” Bucky agreed, lifting them to help add the dishes to Carter’s already full hands. “Thank you, the muffin was really good and the latte was to die for.”

Carter smiled. “Glad to hear it. What kind of muffin did you have?”

“Blueberry,” Bucky murmured.

Carter chuckled, looking down into the mug Bucky had handed to him. “Diana’s great at making muffins. I’m glad you liked it. Did-did she give you the new _Caramel Spiced Latte? _She hasn’t even put that one on the menu yet.”

Bucky blinked. “Uh yeah, it was really good. I told her I’d never heard of such a thing before but it was really fantastic.”

Carter smiled, gaze softening. “She’s a creative one, that’s for sure. But I’m glad you liked it. Is there anything else I can get you?”

Bucky glanced towards the display cases and let out a breath. “You know what? I think I’d like to grab a dozen muffins to take with me. Lots of hungry coworkers.”

Carter smirked. “Ah, she’s got you hooked. Come up whenever you’re ready and we can pick the ones you want.”

Bucky grinned a little wryly as he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “O-okay, I’ll be up in a minute, just gotta make a phone call.”

He could feel his phone vibrating with new text messages and missed phone calls where he’d shoved it in his pocket and he figured it was probably Steve wondering where he was. It was just after 8am and usually they’d hang out together after his morning run and workout and Bucky had totally skipped his workout to instead hang out at the cafe.

“Sounds good,” Carter agreed, nodding before he was slipping back off towards the kitchen to get rid of the dishes.

Bucky pulled out his phone, glancing down at it before clicking on Steve’s three missed calls and returning one. “_Buck-_“ Steve greeted nervously. “Where are you?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Stevie, I’m fine, I promise. I went out for a walk this morning and got a bit sidetracked. I’ll be back in twenty minutes, okay?”

Steve let out a relieved sigh. “Sorry, Bucky. I’m sorry. You know I worry, would it have killed you to send me a message though?”

Bucky sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, Stevie. I hate the texting thing. But I’ll leave a note next time. I promise I’ll be home soon and I’ll even bring you a treat, okay?”

Steve hummed, as if thinking it over and Bucky’s smile spread. “Blueberry or Chocolate?”

“_Oh-_“ Steve breathed. “Chocolate?” He asked hopefully.

Bucky chuckled, glancing towards the display case with all the muffins. “Sure thing, pal. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay,” Steve conceded. “See you in a bit.”

They hung up and Bucky pocketed his phone before making his way up to the counter by the register where Carter greeted him with a big empty box. “Which ones were you thinking?”

Bucky cleared his throat slightly and looked into the case at all the different choices. “How about one of each and then the last few can be extra chocolate and blueberry?”

Carter nodded, scooping up the box and going to fill it with his requests. “Sounds good, be right back.”

Bucky nodded, pulling out his wallet and fiddling with a few bills. While he was busy stuffing a twenty into their tip jar, wholly absorbed in his task, he missed Diana slipping down the back stairs and catching sight of him doing so while waiting at the register. She hastily grabbed Beckett and motioned him towards the pantry.

“Do me a favour and grab some of that caramel almond bark and go give it to James. It looks like he’s getting something to go,” She prompted and Beckett scrunched his face up.

“Why can’t you give it to him?” He argued, already moving to get a packet of the pre-wrapped specialty dessert she reserved for only her favourite customers.

“Because I’m in my workout gear, I look like a fool. Now _go_,” She urged and he rolled his eyes, parcel safely in hand as he did what she asked.

He sidled up next to his older brother at the display case and cleared his throat. “Diana wants you to give this to her new friend.”

Carter raised a brow inquisitively and Beckett shrugged, shoving the little packet at him before darting off to help another customer. Carter was left shaking his head in amusement as he finished packing up the box of treats and soon he was face to face with Bucky once again. “How much do I owe you for the muffins?” He asked lightly, already having pulled a twenty from his wallet.

“It’s 15.75$,” Carter announced, setting the box on the counter between them. “And Diana wanted you to have a bag of our specialty bark to try.”

He figured he could throw her under the proverbial bus and see where it got them. Bucky blinked, his cheeks heating a little. “Oh, that-that’s really sweet of her, thank you,” Bucky said gratefully, handing over the twenty. “I uh, don’t need any change back either. Thank you again and please tell her I said thank you for the treats.”

Carter smiled, shaking his head as he accepted the twenty dollar bill and put it into the register. “No problem, and she’s actually just getting ready to head out for a run, you could thank her yourself if you like?” He said a little too loudly as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder and ducked slightly aside so that Bucky was treated with the view of Diana at the back door all done up in her workout gear.

Of course she heard him. It wasn’t the biggest distance between the back door and the register. She flushed when she looked up from tying her shoes and was met with Bucky’s gorgeously steely blue eyes. He waved at her, picking up the bundle of bark as he smiled crookedly at her. “Thanks, Diana,” He called shyly.

“No problem-“ She insisted, standing back up and greeting Bucky with the sight of her in _very_ tight black leggings, little cutouts in floral patterns all down her legs along with a long sleeved navy blue fitted athletic shirt. “See you around.”

Bucky nodded, “See you around.”

She smiled shyly and then she was darting out the door so fast that Carter and Beckett really tested their self-restraint. They were literally two-seconds away from bursting into laughter and they were really glad when Bucky turned his attention back to Carter, giving him a nervous smile before he too was ducking out of the place like a bunny on a mission.

“So, that was hilarious,” Beckett agreed once their laughter did get the better of them.

Carter laughed, trying to stifle it against his shoulder. “It really was. I hope he comes back.”

Beckett grinned. “_Oh_, he’ll be back alright.”

When Carter just looked to his younger brother curiously, he rolled his eyes. “He’s got a thing for her muffins, couldn’t you tell?” Beckett muttered, waggling his eyebrows.

Carter stared at him for all of five-seconds before he groaned, “_Oh for the love of_-that was _awful_.”

Beckett grinned, waggling his eyebrows again. “Yeah, well, it’s me. What did you expect?”

Carter rolled his eyes, huffing lightly. “Uh huh, come on, let’s get the lunch stuff organized before she gets back.”

Bucky was careful to get rid of the box the muffins came in and when asked where he’d gotten them from, he’d merely said, “_The Supermarket._”

No one had questioned him, but Natasha had definitely noticed the light dusting of pink across his cheeks that his stubble didn’t quite manage to hide. She didn’t press though and she wasn’t the only one who noticed something either. Over the course of the morning, each of the Avengers had managed to catch Bucky in a smile, but it wasn’t until he outright _laughed_ at something Steve had said, that the others _really_ took notice.

Bucky didn’t laugh. Well, he did, obviously. But no one ever seemed to be lucky enough to hear it. Steve could coax it out of him when the brunette’s mood was right, but it was a rare thing. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy or that he was feeling down or anything; he just didn’t share his feelings as openly as he may have once done.

Back before everything, he’d been very vocal in sharing his emotions, always laughing and smiling, showing that he was happy or frustrated or whatever mood he was in at the time. But since coming back to Steve, it’d been a hell of a lot harder for him to vocalize his feelings or really _anything_ for that matter. He’d been deprived for so long of the ability to do so that it became more and more difficult to just let go and express himself. Express nearly anything.

From simple things, like wanting something to drink, or even a second helping of food. It was incredibly difficult for him to ask for anything in the beginning and they understood and did their best to help him work around it. It got better, but then they realized something else. Bucky never said no to anything and that was a whole other kind of problem. One that they’d all had to sit down and discuss and Bucky had been immensely relieved by their understanding and he’d made great progress in saying no to stupid trivial things like not wanting anchovies on his pizza, _please and thank you._ Or not wanting to join Steve for a workout because he wasn’t feeling up to it. They understood, that’s all that mattered.

He was learning that it was okay to say no as well as say yes to the things he wanted and he could always ask for whatever he needed and he’d been told that the worse that could happen was that he’d be told no and they’d work something else out instead. It’d gotten better, really.

But the whole feelings aspect of it all was much, much harder for him to handle, but he was adjusting. _Clearly,_ if he was laughing so openly, if not still a bit soft and timid around the majority of the Team. So when he was caught smiling down into his cup of milk by Tony who just happened upon the scene in his quest for coffee, it made the genius pause, phone held out as he’d been typing away, momentarily forgotten in his grasp.

Tony had stopped and stared, the conversation of the other Avengers around him continuing on. So of course he did the only thing he could think of and carefully tilted his phone to snap a photo of the brunette and that timid smile on his face. There was no shutter sound, because Tony wasn’t an idiot, and pocketed his phone before anyone had noticed. Except for Steve, Steve always noticed and the blonde’s knowing smile was enough to get Tony’s eyes rolling as he came over and planted a kiss on his pretty cheek.

“Hi there,” Tony greeted his lover, leaning over and scooping up the blonde’s cup of coffee to steal a sip.

“Hey yourself,” Steve murmured, trying to nuzzle against Tony’s jaw.

Tony chuckled under his breath, leaning in to the man’s light nuzzle for a moment before drawing away. “What’s all the fuss about?” He asked, gesturing towards the rambunctious group around the kitchen island devouring their breakfast and treats.

“Bucky brought home some muffins for us and they’re really good. You should try one before they’re all gone,” Steve told him, reaching out for the plate of muffins and earning himself a few narrowed gazes.

He smirked, rolling his eyes. “Tony gets one too, right, Buck?”

Bucky blinked, his gaze straying towards the genius. “Of course Tony can have one. I brought home enough for everyone,” He said quietly.

Tony beamed at him, hand reaching out only to hover over the plate where there were only four muffins left as he tried to decide which one to try. “Thanks Buckaroo.”

Bucky’s smile was soft when he shrugged and looked away for a moment, bashful, before he pointed towards the one closest to him. “I think this one is chocolate and banana.”

Tony’s grin was blinding. “Two of my favourite things.”

“_Hey_,” Steve pouted.

Tony laughed, picking up the muffin and unwrapping it carefully. “Oh sweetheart. You know you are my _most_ favourite thing.”

Steve laughed, obviously pleased as he rolled his eyes and let Tony plant a messy kiss on his cheek. Bucky groaned. “Please get a room you two. Your sappiness is making me sick.”

Steve guffawed, as did Tony…for all of a second and then Tony was bursting into happy laughter. Bucky was right pleased with himself at the response he garnered and couldn’t help the dopy smile he shot his best friend when Steve just looked at him with a fond smirk tugging at his lips. Obviously he was happy that Bucky was having a good day and the fact that Natasha, Clint, Wanda and even _Tony_ hadn’t said anything about Bucky’s good mood was enough for Steve to thank them in the privacy of his own mind; for now.

Bucky wasn’t really all grossed out by their displays of casual affection. He was thrilled that they’d filled each others lives the way they did. Tony needed Steve and Steve needed Tony. They’d started dating well before Bucky had come back and Bucky was beside himself when he’d found out.

They’d tried to keep it a secret for nearly two months before Bucky had become so frustrated with the pair thinking that he was oblivious, that he’d outright dragged Steve down to the genius’ lab and practically thrown them together, shouting; “For the love of whatever bloody God and Gods that exist! I know you two are together, so stop hiding! I’m thrilled for you idiots, really,_ I am!_ So just kiss already and be done with it!”

They’d looked at each other sheepishly, apparently knowing that keeping a secret from a world’s master assassin was idiotic and they’d been fools to try. So they’d apologized, kissed and that had been that. Though Tony did make a smart remark along the lines of; “Nice way to convince us that you’re okay with it by _shouting_ at us, Bucky bear.”

Bucky had blinked in surprise at him before laughing, rolling his eyes as he’d smiled shyly, his nervous and bashful self returning all at once. Steve and Tony were right pleased with the outcome of that conversation though and they immediately went back to kissing, hugging and touching in any way they could get away with in front of him and the rest of the Team.

The rest of the day had then passed in much the same fashion and Bucky was grateful for it. The little reprieve that morning had been a blessing and he didn’t realize it until he was settling in on the lazy boy with Steve and Tony curled up on the sofa opposite him, Natasha and Wanda settled together the love seat with Clint sprawled on a few pillows at their feet, that he hadn’t once thought about the nightmarish thoughts he’d awoken to first thing that morning.

He propped his chin in the palm of his hand, leaning against the arm rest of the chair he was settled in and glanced around at his friends…before sneaking a hand into his hoodie pocket and pulling out a small piece of the caramel dark chocolate almond bark Diana had given him.

The first taste was like heaven and he savoured it, letting it rest on his tongue as he sucked on the treat and let the flavours wash over him. This was probably his new most favourite thing in the world and he secretly wondered if he went to bed right now, if anyone would notice. He really wanted it to be tomorrow already so he could go back to the coffee shop. And with that pleasantly silly and adorable thought, he rolled his eyes and tried to pay attention to the movie they were watching. It was one on Tony’s list and he was sure the pop culture references would be ones that he needed to remember if he didn’t want the genius to drive him bananas in the near future.

And later that night, he didn’t think too hard about why curling up in his bed to sleep was so easy without the thereat of, _will this be another sleepless night full of nightmares and faces? _He didn’t care. He could brave it if it meant enjoying the rest of his day once it was over and getting to see that pretty caramel and coffee haired young woman again.

.

Bucky managed to wait until Steve left for his morning run before he headed down to the coffee shop. He wanted to avoid any questions if possible, not wanting to let on to his secret. He wasn’t even really sure what his secret was exactly. He figured it was something to do with the fact that he didn’t want to share Diana…even though she wasn’t exactly his to share. He just-he wanted to see where this went-see where this new fragile sort of thing would go.

Even if it went no where, just a casual friendliness between them during his morning walks that would ultimately lead him to the cafe, he’d still take it. He loved his friends, the Team, even if he wasn’t exactly _on_ the Team. They still treated him as if he were and he still went on small recon missions to help out whenever he could. They did call him in for the big trouble though and he’d be the first to jump in and cover Steve’s self-sacrificing ass whenever necessary. Which was, like, _always._

Tony and Bucky sort of maybe _bonded_ over how idiotic Steve could be at times and although Steve was incredibly happy that they’d worked out everything together, he really wished they didn’t choose that particular thing to really connect over. But what can you do?

So when Bucky showed up around 6:40am to find Carter and Beckett manning the cash and taking care of the customers at the front, while Diana was busy at her kitchen prep table, tongue pressed firmly against the inside of her cheek as she painstakingly applied icing to row upon row of cupcakes? _Well_, he was hard pressed not to start grinning like an idiot as soon as he got a good look at her.

And she was just as beautiful as he remembered. Her long wavy hair was tied back in a low ponytail, her cream coloured shirt on again with a pair of skin tight black leggings which he was trying very hard not to admire so thoroughly. She had the same apron on today, although, they all wore similar ones, so maybe the same, but you know, _different. _And she also wore a pair of headphones on over her ears and he figured she was in the decorating _zone_.

His lips quirked ever so slightly as he took up his place in line, the boys and Diana not having seen him just yet. Diana was obviously very preoccupied her task as she was bent over the table slightly and watching what she was doing with a careful eye, but as soon as it was his turn and he was face to face with Carter, the blonde haired young man with bright blue eyes’ gaze widened in surprise. “You came back-_shit_, I mean-_damnit_, I owe Becks a cookie.”

Bucky’s smile was curious, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “I did come back and why do you owe Becks a cookie and what’s a Becks?” He tried to wheedle.

Carter laughed, gesturing to the younger blonde who was staring at him in surprise from the other side of the display case and of course Bucky knew he was Becks. He just had to play dumb for another minute. “My younger brother, Beckett,” Carter gestured towards him. “I owe him a cookie because-“

“Because I said you’d for sure be back,” Beckett spoke up, coming over to greet him. “I’m Becks or Beckett, whatever you prefer and this is my older annoying brother, Carter. And we already know your name is James because Diana told us and _yeah_, we knew you’d be back,” He said confidently.

Bucky’s smile was even more curious now, his eyes narrowing. “What made you so certain I’d be back?”

Beckett laughed, a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder in a clear gesture towards Diana. “You like her muffins.”

Bucky blinked, the most _glorious_ blush ever spreading across his cheeks as he stuttered over what to say to, well, _that._ “I do like the muffins she _bakes_, you’re right,” He managed to croak, recovering from the boy’s obvious tease and trying to steer the conversation in a less than scandalous direction.

Beckett grinned, elbowing Carter who looked rather scandalized by the whole conversation. “My brother, _ladies and gentleman_, he thinks he’s a class act,” Carter muttered, shaking his head.

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head and trying to will the blush from his cheeks. “Well, yes, I came back and not just because of her muffins,” He muttered, rolling his eyes when Beckett snickered. “I like the atmosphere. It’s quiet and cozy and the treats are delicious and that latte was pretty amazing too.”

Carter smiled warmly at him. “I’m glad you came back and that you like it here. What can I get you this morning? Maybe a breakfast sandwich and another latte? I can’t make that one she gave you yesterday as well as she can, but I make a wicked vanilla chai latte.”

Bucky nodded, a gentle smile escaping him as he nodded. “A vanilla chai latte sounds great, Carter, thank you and I’d love to try that bacon and egg sandwich on whole wheat bread, if that’s alright?”

“Of course it’s alright,” Carter said breezily, missing the way Bucky’s smile faltered ever so slightly as he turned away and started working on the latte.

Beckett had moved off to get the sandwich ready for him and Bucky was left with a moment of disappointment in himself at having asked if it was alright. Of course it was alright, he knew that, he just forgot himself for a moment. He knew he could ask for things and he was allowed to have them. It was silly for him to worry over it and he knew that too, but he couldn’t help the swirling thoughts starting to gather in his gut.

“Did you want a muffin or something sweet to go with your breakfast too?” Beckett asked him softly, having turned to see Bucky and the pinched expression he wore.

“Oh,” He said nervously, trying to school his face into something more normal. “Yeah, uh, maybe I’ll try that chocolate banana one. A friend of mine really enjoyed the one I brought home yesterday.”

“Oh awesome, man. That’s definitely my favourite. Why don’t you go have a seat and I’ll bring your order over, you can settle up later,” Beckett told him, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Sure, uh, thanks,” Bucky said earnestly, gesturing towards the little table by the fireplace, happy that it was still free. “I’ll just be over there.”

“No problem,” Beckett agreed, going back to fixing up his sandwich.

A few minutes later, Beckett delivered his sandwich, muffin and latte for him with a cheesy smile before he was leaning his hip against a nearby table. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable back there. I was just teasing you.”

Bucky smiled, sitting back a bit and observing the young man. “Nah, I wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. Just a bit surprised.”

Beckett chuckled, nodding as he conceded the point. “I get it, don’t worry. I am sorry though if I upset you, my tongue likes to get away from me sometimes.”

Bucky smiled tentatively at him. “Don’t worry about it, really. Can I ask you though? I-is uh, Diana your sister, by the way?”

The young man’s eyes widened slightly and he shook his head. “No, not exactly. Though she is like a sister to us. She’s actually our Guardian.”

And it was such a simple and yet loaded word and it had Bucky’s heart nearly skipping. Guardian could mean any number of things and usually when you heard it used in a way such as this, it was as a result of something tragic.

“Oh, sorry to pry. I just-you all seemed really close yesterday and you obviously know each other well-” Bucky went on, only to be interrupted by Beckett’s soft laugher.

“You saw the spatula incident then, didn’t you?” He teased.

Bucky grinned. “Yeah, I did.”

Beckett folded his arms in front his chest, smiling as he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we’re close. Been under her wings since I was 13, Beckett 15 and we’ve known her since we were just little heathens.”

Bucky’s gaze softened. “That’s nice, to have each other like that.”

Beckett blinked, watching as Bucky’s gaze darted away towards the kitchen where he knew Diana was still decorating the cupcakes. “It is nice. She’s special to us and uh-“ He cleared his throat a bit, thinking over how he wanted to phrase his next words. “Just an FYI…she only gives that caramel almond bark to people she likes and that list is pretty short.”

Bucky’s smile was shy and a bit more nervous than he’d like to admit when he met the young man’s gaze once again. “She doesn’t even know me.”

Beckett shrugged, turning to start back towards the counter. “No, she doesn’t. But I’m sure she’ll get to.”

Bucky’s smile was tentative as he looked down at the latte and the rest of his breakfast. He raised the latte to his lips and managed to catch Carter’s curious gaze as Beckett passed him by, whispering something Bucky couldn’t hear to him. Carter’s smile was genuine when he gazed back and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Bucky spent the next hour or so enjoying his breakfast, watching people come and go, playing on his phone and actually sending Steve a message to let him know all was well and that he’d meet him at the pool for 9am for a swim if he felt up to it. He was having a good morning, just enjoying the atmosphere and the quiet while he let his gaze wander.

And it did wander. Mostly back to where Diana was hard at work still decorating her cupcakes. No longer with icing, but now with little sprinkles and decorations that he couldn’t quite make out from where he was sitting. Carter was busy restocking the display case and tidying up while Beckett took care of any customers after the early morning rush had passed. It was definitely a busy place, but it seemed to be busiest between 6:30am and 7:30am and now it was much calmer.

For a coffee shop in New York City, it wasn’t overly packed, but he could tell that most of the shop patrons were regulars and probably intensely loyal to the place. He liked that. So he just sat and watched, flicking around on his phone and keeping to himself for the most part. But around 8am, a male customer popped in, making a bit of unnecessary noise as he strode up to the counter where Beckett was standing going over some paperwork, and Bucky’s gaze was immediately drawn to him.

Something about him had Bucky feeling on edge. The way the guy carried himself just screamed asshole in every sense of the word and Bucky grimaced slightly, wondering if he was overreacting. Little did he know, he’d be proven right soon enough.

“Hey squirt!” The man greeted, approaching the counter and smacking a hand down to lean heavily against the wood.

“Damian,” Beckett returned cooly, gaze lifting from his paperwork to settle on the man. “What can I get you?”

“Well, how about you go grab Diana for me? I’d like her to make my cappuccino,” Damian announced, gaze flicking towards Diana who was still bent slightly over the table at an odd angle as she placed some of the finishing touches on her cupcakes.

Her headphones were still firmly on over her ears and drowning out the noise of the shop and she hadn’t heard Damian and Beckett conversing. From where Bucky was sitting, he could have sword he’d seen Carter shoot her a nervous look, almost willing her to look up and stop bending over the table like that, because sure enough, Damian was apparently a huge asshole and was eyeing her like a piece of meat.

“Diana’s busy filling out an order and she really can’t be bothered this morning, sorry. I can make your cappuccino, just the regular then?” Beckett prompted, shifting to block his view of Diana as best he could and making it painfully obvious that he was losing his patience with the man already.

Damian blinked, narrowing his eyes at the younger man and shaking his head. “Uh, no can do. Go get her for me, I want her to make it so I can chat with her for a bit. She never talks to me otherwise,” Damian muttered in annoyance.

Beckett rolled his eyes. “I wonder why,” He muttered under his breath.

Damian’s eyes widened and he sneered. “Listen you little shit-“

“_Hey-_“ Carter interrupted, darting over towards the two when he saw that Beckett looked to be about a second away from lunging over the counter at the man. “Easy guys.”

With his sudden exclamation, Diana had apparently heard him, her music not having been loud enough to drown them out and she stood up, turning around and knocking her headphones from her ears to settle around her neck. “Wha-“ She started to breathe, until she caught sight of Damian and Beckett looking like they were going to start a physical fight any second.

_Shit._ She thought, tossing her headphones aside and moving swiftly towards the register where Beckett and Carter now stood together. “Uh, hey guys, what’s going on?” She asked hesitantly, moving to put herself closer to the fray.

“_Diana!_” Damian suddenly exclaimed, all smiles as he turned his attention towards her. “We were just talking about you.”

Diana shot Beckett and Carter a look that screamed, _I’m sure you were_, and turned her attention back to Damian. “Damian, good morning. How can we help you?”

“Oh, I think the question is, how can _you_, help _me,_” He sighed, leaning a bit more on the counter in an attempt to get closer to her.

She blinked, wanting to tell him to fuck off but knowing that was poor hostess etiquette or something. “Okay?”

He laughed, throwing his head back and it was so fake, so pretend and it rubbed her the wrong way on so many levels. “Oh, _sweetheart_. I was just telling your employee here, that I’d like a cappuccino and what better person to make it for me than you? You already know me so well, Diana. Don’t you think you’d like to maybe get to know me more?”

She tried very hard to suppress her grimace as she let out a fake sad sigh. “I’m sorry, Damian. But I’ve told you before, I’ll gladly make you your morning cappuccinos, but I’m keeping our…_acquaintance_ strictly professional. I am your barista and you are my customer, that’s all.”

Damian pouted. “But _Diana_,” He whined. “We could be so good together, can’t you just go out to dinner with me and let me prove it to you? It doesn’t even have to be dinner, we could have lunch back at my place, a little afternoon delight-”

“_She said _**_no-_**“ Carter interrupted angrily. “For the hundredth time!” He snapped.

“_Carter_-“ Diana whispered harshly, touching his elbow to try and calm him down.

But Carter was already working himself up, annoyed and frustrated to hell with this asshole and Beckett wasn’t fairing much better, having shifted closer to the counter and seemed to be debating whether or not if stabbing him through the hand with the order puncher would be too much.

“This doesn’t concern you two anyway, so why don’t you run along and let the adults talk for a minute-“ Damian muttered.

Diana shot him a very unimpressed look. “Don’t talk to them like that,” She warned.

Damian floundered for a moment, torn between wanting to scold the _children _and impress Diana without pissing her off. “Yeah, _Damian_. Don’t talk to us like that,” Beckett taunted.

Diana shot him a flat look and Beckett tried to cover his pout as he looked away, but it all only seemed to irritate their customer. “Listen, _Diana-_“ Damian pleaded, trying to ignore the other two. “Just one date, okay? One measly date and I’ll prove-“

“_Enough-_“ Carter snapped. “She doesn’t want to date your sleazy ass-“

“_Carter!_” Diana gasped, grabbing the blonde by his bicep and attempting to get him to walk away before this got any worse; she just needed to separate them so she could deal with Damian on her own.

She should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy, but Carter did let her move him to her left by the display case while she stepped up next to Beckett and tried to block him from Damian’s view. However, no sooner had she done so, did Damian’s mutter of, “_Fucking faggot-_“ under his breath, immediately draw her attention.

Carter had gone stock still at her side and she could feel the way his entire body seemed to tense and it made her very bones suddenly fill with ice and her blood heat like fire. Her gaze met Damian’s and he seemed to realize that not only had she heard him, but so did Carter and Beckett, who was now staring murderously out from behind Diana at him. Damian blinked, about to do something, probably not apologize, but he didn’t get the chance.

“What did you just say?” Diana whispered, her voice like venom.

Damian cleared his throat, standing up a bit taller. He seemed to struggle with how to play this and he forced out a laugh. “Oh, _come on_, Dy, _baby. _You have to know your boy’s a faggot by now?”

Diana’s cheeks grew red, the angry splotches spreading down her throat, her eyes narrowing as she stared him down, now seeming to stand just that much taller than him as she started past Beckett and around the side of the counter; apparently faster than any of them realized.

“How dare you-“ She hissed. “_How dare you_-“ She nearly shouted. “You come into _our_ business, our _home, _insult _my _boy, expect to play it off as if it’s no big deal and still _hope_ that I’ll go out on a _date with you?!_” She yelled, hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Get the fuck out of my shop this instant or _so help me-_“

Damian shook his head, chest puffing up in indignation as he tried to take a step forward, only to meet with the chest of what would appear to be a brick shit-house as Bucky put himself between Diana and the man. “I believe,” Bucky muttered cooly. “That the lady asked you to leave, so you’d best be going.”

Damian blinked, cheeks heating with embarrassment when he realized he stood an absolutely zero percent chance at winning this argument or any kind of physical fight now that said brick shit-house was involved. “_Fine_-“ He muttered, shaking his head and cursing them all under his breath as he started for the door, many of the cafe’s patrons shooting him awful disgusted looks as he passed.

Bucky turned around then only to be met with Diana’s anger melting into exhaustion and relief. “Thank you,” She whispered, her voice filled with sincerity as she met his worried gaze.

He nodded, swallowing hard as he looked her over, making sure that she was actually alright. He had gotten up the second he’d heard the asswipe’s slur and had carefully and quietly made his way towards them, knowing that he’d step in the second it was required.

He glanced over her shoulder then to where Beckett was watching Carter with a worried look on his face. “You should-“ Bucky started uncertainly, motioning towards the boys and she quickly nodded, still staring at him with relief shining in her eyes while seeming to understand as she turned and walked around the side of the counter.

Beckett felt her hand on his arm as she slipped past him, her fingers leaving a reassuring warmth around his forearm before she let go of him to go to Carter. Carter was hastily wiping down one of the baking tables, head ducked and face pinched. She could only see his side profile and she knew he was upset, holding it all in because that’s just what he did.

“Carter?” She murmured softly, trying to get his attention.

When he didn’t respond, only continued to wipe down the table and turn his back more towards her, she frowned, curling a reassuring hand over his shoulder. He flinched bodily away from her and the soft hurt sound she made at that made him pause, gaze flicking uncertainly towards her at his left. “I’m sorry-“ He choked suddenly.

“_Hey_, **_no_**,” She said firmly. “You don’t need to be sorry for anything, my little love,” She murmured soothingly, wrapping him up in her arms and drawing him close.

He choked back a sob and she frowned, pulling him in tighter, his nose tucking into the crook of her neck. “D-don’t call me that,” He choked, trying to sound annoyed.

She laughed lightly, pressing one hand to the back of his neck and rubbing circles against his lower back. “_My little love?_” She asked and when he nodded, she rolled her eyes. “But you love it when I go all _Mommy Dy_ on you,” She tried to tease.

His laugh was wobbly around the edges and despite his face being buried against her neck, she knew he was smiling. “Come on, sweetheart, nothing to be sad about, okay?” She tried to reassure.

He nodded, drawing away from her a bit, still unable to meet her gaze. “He’s right, you know.”

Diana’s gaze turned piercing, her hands grasping his biceps painfully hard. “Don’t you dare, _Carter Anthony Mathews,_” She threatened.

He grimaced at the middle name drop and tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let him. There were tears in his eyes and she _hated_ them there. “You listen to me, Carter,” She demanded. “You are not a faggot, that word is awful and so derogatory and degrading and _hurtful_. So get it out of your head. What he said was wrong, on so many levels, and I won’t have you thinking that about yourself for one more second. _Do you hear me?_”

Carter nodded reluctantly and soon she was forcing his chin up to meet her gaze. “You love who you love, just like the rest of us. If it’s a man or a woman, so be it. _Hell_, if goats are your thing, then so be it-“

“I don’t love_ goats!_” He protested.

Diana blinked in surprise at his outburst, but then she pouted adorably. “You don’t love goats? Are you crazy? Have I not shown you enough baby goat videos in your youth? They are so beautiful and they make the funniest noises-“

“_Oh my God!_” Carter guffawed, pushing her lightly away from him in exasperation.“You are ridiculous!”

Diana pursed her lips, trying hard not to laugh. “Oh, come on, you love me.”

Carter laughed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Yeah, you lunatic, of course I love you.”

Diana’s gaze softened and she smiled at him sweetly. “How you can go from sweet and motherly one instant to dorky ridiculous Mom in the next, is beyond me,” Carter guffawed, shaking his head.

She laughed, smiling at him knowingly as she reached up and tapped a finger against his nose. “You have much to learn, young Padawan,” She teased.

Carter spluttered for a moment and then Beckett’s howling laughter was reaching them and he tried so hard to stifle it and was obviously failing miserably. Carter broke out into a wide grin and Diana just smiled and looked between the pair, obviously proud of herself. “_Star Wars_ references? _Really?_” Carter asked in disbelief.

Diana snickered, her nose scrunching up adorably as she shrugged, moving to bump hips with Beckett as he came over to check up on them. “I’d make an awesome Jedi,” She informed them, waving a finger at Carter.

The blonde laughed, shaking his head. “_Nah_, you’re too much of a princess for that.”

Beckett smirked and Diana just rolled her eyes, but then it was if a lightbulb was going off over her head and her eyes widened. “_Hey_, maybe that’s what I’ll be for Halloween! Princess Leia in the-“

“Don’t say it!” Becket yelled, at the same time Carter said, “_No!_”

“Gold bikini?” She asked, a pout gracing her features, big brown eyes wide and hurt.

“Absolutely no gold bikini-“ Carter threatened. “We already have enough trouble with guys ogling you as it is, we don’t need you flaunting yourself in a bikini.”

Diana rolled her eyes. “Fine, then I’ll just be Leia in her combat gear. I’ll even make the space buns and everything.”

Beckett laughed shaking his head. “No way, Dy. I think you should go as a _real_ princess this year.”

Diana pouted, looking between the pair. “Really? Like, frilly dress and crown and crap? That’s boring,” She muttered disapprovingly.

Carter snickered and Beckett rolled his eyes. “Nah, not exactly. I was thinking more along the lines of _Warrior_ Princess.”

Diana blinked. “Like _Xena?_”

When both of the boys just gave her a blank look, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, so not Xena.”

Beckett chuckled and shook his head. “I was thinking Wonder Woman.”

Diana’s cheeks flushed lightly. “_Oh_, I don’t know.”

Carter frowned. “Why not? I think you’d make a great Diana Prince.”

Diana shrugged, moving away from them slightly, apparently a bit uncomfortable with the idea. “No, I don’t think I want to be Wonder Woman for Halloween.”

Beckett pouted, shooting Carter a glance. “Come on, Dy. You’d be a great Wonder Woman. You were about two-seconds away from knocking Damian on his ass and could you imagine yourself in her outfit? All that crazy armour and awesome sword and shield _and_, you’d get to wear a _tiara._”

Diana shot him a worried glance, clearly nervous about the idea. “I’m not strong like her though or you know_, _pretty, like _that_. That actress who portrayed her was gorgeous, I couldn’t do her justice in the looks department or the…er, all around _goodness_ that Wonder Woman stands for.”

Carter scoffed and Beckett groaned, _loudly_. “Excuse you, Diana,” Carter muttered in annoyance. “But you’re definitely wrong on both of those fronts.”

“It’s decided then-“ Beckett announced. “You’ll be Wonder Woman for Halloween, Carter will be the same thing he’s been every year since he was eight and I’ll be Luke Skywalker because he’s totally awesome.”

Carter laughed lightly, shaking his head as he glanced over at Diana who looked torn between annoyed and fond. “Ugh, why do I put up with you two again?”

Carter and Beckett both grinned at each other before saying in unison, “Because you love us!”

Diana merely rolled her eyes, huffing out a breath as she turned back to her cupcakes and muttered, “Damn right I do.”

.


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky had remained quiet and tucked away in his corner for the rest of his morning visit to the shop. He hadn’t wanted to bother Diana and the boys after their run in with their awful customer, feeling a bit like he may have over stepped as more and more time went on. He was so busy in his own head, in fact, that as he was tidying up his table and preparing to grab his jacket and leave, he’d been effectively startled when Diana had suddenly appeared beside carrying a small brown box.

“Hey,” She greeted gently, knowing she’d accidentally spooked him when he flinched at her sudden closeness.

“Uh, hey,” He offered, wincing a little at the fact that she’d taken a tentative step back after said flinch. “Sorry, didn’t hear you coming.”

“It’s okay, my fault,” She quickly apologized. “I just wanted to-“

“_I’m sorry-_“ Bucky blurted, hands clasped in front of him on the table, knee bouncing nervously beneath it. “I sh-shouldn’t have stepped in like that earlier. I know you had it handled, you can clearly take care of yourself, I was just not okay with hearing that asshole-_pardon my language-_say such horrible things to you and the boys so I-“

“_James-_“ Diana murmured, stepping closer to the table.

He watched with wide eyes as she set the small box down and then as if in slow motion, reached out and placed a small delicate hand carefully atop both of his. She squeezed them gently and Bucky was never more grateful that he’d managed to cup his flesh and blood hand atop the metal before she’d done so.

“I think you missed the part where I said _thank you_ earlier,” She admitted, gaze full of gratitude and concern as she let her dark eyes flicker over his features. “I could have handled it myself, I was handling it, but I was already angry and angry people do stupid things. So I’m going to say it again, _thank you_ for stepping in and making the scumbag leave.”

Bucky swallowed hard and nodded tentatively. “You’re welcome…I-don’t exactly like bullies…got a good friend who uh, set me on the right path in that regard.”

Diana smiled kindly, shoulders slumping in their relief as she squeezed Bucky’s hands once more. Bucky tried not to admit that he missed the gentle contact as much as he did when the warmth of her hand slipped away from him and instead focused on the way she was looking at him; her chocolate brown orbs flecked with amber, wide and focused solely on him, her features sun-kissed and covered in light freckles…her cheeks rosy and covered in bits of her baking, maybe some chocolate, but could simply be brown icing…or coffee grounds.

He couldn’t help his adoring smile as she reached up to tuck an errant lock of her hair back behind her ear, the caramel of her highlights catching the light above them as she shifted, before the darker mocha of the rest of her hair hid them once more.

“Sounds like a good friend you’ve got,” She murmured, gaze still unerringly trained on him. “I hope you’ll consider me one of those friends too, you’re always welcome here…so, thank you…again and um…” She suddenly went shy, cheeks flushing as she tried to find her breath and the right words. “I made you something, a-as a thank you and sort of in the hope that you’d come back tomorrow…not um, be frightened away by the display this morning.”

Bucky blinked, taken aback. “Of course I’ll come back tomorrow. I don’t think I could stay away if I tried.”

That…may have been a bit too honest. Bucky wanted to swallow the words back immensely so, but they were already out there and…okay, so maybe they weren’t so bad, because Diana was smiling at him with a fragile sort of hope and that was everything he wanted in this moment and he hadn’t even realized it.

“That’s…that’s great, James. I-I know you looked like you were on your way out, but I was hoping you’d stop up at the counter first. Carter and Beckett wanted to talk to you, if that’s alright?” She asked gently, nervously twisting the hem of her messy apron between her hands.

Bucky’s gaze flickered to the left of her where he watched the boys try their level best not to appear like they’d been watching their conversation by distracting themselves with cleaning the counters a little too vigorously. “Sure, I should probably grab a few treats to take back home with me as well,” He agreed, smiling gently at her, hoping to ease her nerves.

She blew out a slow breath, nodding and clearly pleased by his response. “Great, that’s great. I…well, I should get back to work, but um…thanks…”

Bucky watched her turn away, looking like there was more she wanted to say but needed to stop herself. She looked a little flustered, but happy and as she disappeared around the counter, he saw her smile, clearly embarrassed at the boys before she ducked away to the cupcakes she’d been working on earlier. He tried not to stare, instead turning his gaze back to the small box she’d left him with. He couldn’t bring himself to open it, not when he knew a couple of the cafe’s patrons were watching, nor with the boys avid gazes. He’d wait until he got outside or better yet, back to the compound for that.

Grabbing his jacket, he slipped it on easily, scooping up his garbage and empty mug, box too, before he made his way to the counter where Beckett and Carter were still trying to appear busy cleaning the countertops and organizing pens and things like that. He tried to hide his smile as he stepped up to them and barely succeeded.

“Hey,” He murmured, easily catching their attention.

“Hey,” Beckett returned, glancing to his brother who appeared to have grown shy in his presence. “Carter and I-“ The younger man continued. “Wanted to say thank you for stepping in like that. You-“

“You didn’t need to do that,” Carter admitted quietly.

Bucky nodded, agreed, really, he did. “I know. Diana and you two had it covered. I know a strong family when I see one.”

Carter did look up at him then and Beckett had grown rather quiet in the face of that admission. “I apologized to Diana for stepping in, but I’ll tell you both the same thing I told her. I don’t like bullies and you didn’t need to listen to that cockroach for another second if I had anything to say about it.”

The boys blinked as if in unison, a little gobsmacked in the face of this person whom they barely knew, and yet… “Thank you,” Carter breathed, a heavy exhale more than anything and Bucky nodded slowly.

“You’re welcome, but anyone would have done the same for you three. Just as I know you would have done the same for anyone else,” He explained quietly, watching the boy’s unconscious nodding get a little firmer. “Well, I’d better get going-“

“_Wait-_“ Beckett breathed, eyes wide and then Carter was pushing a couple of paper bags sitting atop a large box across the counter.

Bucky hadn’t even noticed the box, or the dark brown bags just sitting there, but they looked nicer than the typical take away boxes the cafe had and he wasn’t sure how he’d missed them. “Please, take these with you. Diana insisted and well, I-_we-_wanted to give you something-“

“To say thank you,” Carter added seriously. “We hope you’ll come back.”

Bucky blinked, completely baffled. “Of course I’ll come back…” He said slowly, watching the evident relief spread across their young faces.

Bucky swallowed past the lump in his throat at the sight of it.

“Great, that’s great,” Beckett admitted, Carter nodding along eagerly beside him. “We’ll see you then.”

Bucky nodded, slowly fishing out a couple of $20’s to tuck away in their tip jar, not bothering to be sneaky about it, despite their quick protests. “Thanks guys, I’ll see you tomorrow,” He interrupted them as he picked up the box and bags and attempted to balance the little box Diana had given him in there someplace too.

He let his gaze flicker over the boy’s shoulders to where Diana had been surreptitiously watching the exchange out the corner of her eye and gave her a quick wave. “Bye, Diana,” He called softly. “See you tomorrow,” He added, not really sure why he needed her to know he would be back tomorrow exactly, but wanting her to know all the same.

“Bye, James…I’ll see you tomorrow,” She agreed, voice nothing but a tremulous whisper as he started for the door.

.

Bucky made it back to the compound fast enough, slipping up to his apartment-of which he used to share with Steve-before he would head down to the common floor with his goodies. He really wanted to look in the box Diana had given him and enjoy whatever was inside in the privacy of his own rooms. He didn’t want to have to explain where it’d come from if he could help it.

So, he set the bags and boxes down before picking up the little one and settling in at his kitchen counter. When he opened it, he was blown away. Inside, was the most perfect cupcake he thought he’d ever seen. He carefully undid the box so that the sides opened fully to expose the cupcake and shook his head in disbelief. The cupcake was chocolate, easy to tell with the darker brown wrapper at its base, but the toppings were what absolutely floored him.

The top of the baked chocolate cupcake was sprinkled with white icing sugar and on top of that was a blended dark brown and beige, near caramel coloured, icing design that took his breath away. It wasn’t your typical swirls either, they looked like overlapped folds, a work of art, like drapes might look all gathered and arranged ornately in sculpture. The colours faded into one another beautifully and on top of the thick icing was what looked like a mixture of cinnamon and what smelled like nutmeg…three small coffee beans nestled in between one of the folds.

Bucky sat back on his stool and let himself look, smell…he wanted to eat it, but it just looked so pretty! _How can someone eat something so perfect?_ He wondered. He didn’t realize it right then, but he was smiling from ear to ear, cheeks stained with a light blush as he contemplated his dilemma. He did want to eat it, knew it would be perfect, but…he also didn’t want to mush it and make a mess of it.

He found himself laughing at his _predicament_, knowing it was silly and sweet, foolish, but he couldn’t help it. He pulled out his phone and took a couple of pictures of the treat and then sighed deeply as he carefully picked up the cupcake and ever so gently, pulled back the wrapping. He sighed, eyeing the cupcake once more now that the wrapping had been discarded and took a deep inhale. It smelled like coffee, chocolate, cinnamon…and then took a big bite.

_Heaven_, he’d decided. The cupcake tasted like Heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to pick up this story. Was unable to stop thinking about it last night, so I wrote another chapter. Hope you like it. ^^ <3


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky had managed to take the rest of the treats down to the communal kitchen after he’d finished his own special treat, leaving them in plain sight before he’d headed off to the pool to meet Steve, like he’d promised. He was sure by the time they got there, there would be a sizeable dent in the goodies. He’d been rather distracted by the morning’s events, however, and had neglected to remove one of the stickers Diana had placed on the box she’d given him and with a house full of spies, he really should have known better…been more careful, perhaps.

But there was nothing for it now and no one mentioned anything to him besides. He didn’t even know he’d made the mistake and the others wanted to keep it that way…for a while.

.

True to his word, Bucky was back at the coffee shop the very next morning, timid smiles and kind words for Diana when he’d been let in just before they’d properly opened. They’d chatted a bit, about the cupcake, the way his friends…_coworkers-_he’d only sort of lied-loved the baked goods and raved about them incessantly and she preened under the praise, clearly happy they’d been well received. He tried a new drink that morning, a new sweet too…and a sandwich, because Diana insisted.

He retreated to his now favourite spot in the cafe as Carter and Beckett emerged from their apartment and got to work, letting Diana finish up whatever she’d been working on, cook them breakfast as they manned the front and then disappear for her morning workout for an hour before the lunch rush was sure to begin. Bucky sat quietly and watched, relaxed in the busy yet quiet, easy atmosphere the cafe supplied.

It was a peaceful morning, one of many Bucky would come to admit were his favourites, because this soon became the norm for him. He’d wake up early every morning, sometimes before Steve left for his run, sometimes after and he’d shower, dress and fuss with his hair…maybe even shave and then head down to the bakery to sit and play on his phone, maybe do a crossword in the morning paper…or simply watch Diana, Beckett and Carter as they busied themselves behind the counter and conversed with their customers.

No one bothered him, though he knew there were some of the regulars that clearly knew him. They waved politely, offered kind smiles that were far from pitying and Bucky felt safe…_comfortable _in public for the first time in a very long time. He got to know the boys better, learned that Beckett was an artist who enjoyed all kinds of media, including graphic design and that Carter liked to tinker, enjoyed dabbling in code and was thinking about pursuing a degree in computer science or something along those lines.

He also got to know Diana better, the kind young woman who took care of the boys as if they were her own. The woman who ran the coffee shop, did almost all of the baking on her own, took care of the bills, balanced the books and conducted a catering business on the side and overall worked too hard on any given day in hopes she could give the boys the best life they could possibly have…without making a lot of time for herself, despite the young men trying to push her out the door whenever they could.

Bucky learned a lot about their little family, sometimes from conversations he’d carried on with them, sometimes by simply watching and listening. He was never charged for his morning coffees, or any food or treats, not even when he ordered a box to go anymore. He always tipped though and it was far more than necessary, every damn time. No matter how many times he was told not to, he’d still squeeze something into the little tip jar. He secretly liked Diana’s look of exasperation when he did it and rather enjoyed Beckett and Carter’s twin eye-rolls, so he kept doing it. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t able to afford it, not now.

Diana and the boys had noticed how different Bucky was starting to look too, not only in the way he dressed, but the way he carried himself when he walked into the shop. He didn’t hide his face beneath his ball-cap nearly as much, though he had started wearing scarves that he wrapped around himself maybe one too many times. It was usually in an attempt to hide his now ever present smile from the moment he set his sights on the little cafe. He always nodded and said hello to any customers that were around on his way to the register to place his order. He never had the same drink twice, always wanting to try something new and Diana was always pleased to make him something different.

Diana and the boys weren’t the only ones to notice Bucky’s change in demeanour either. Steve, Tony, Natasha and well, everyone else back at the compound had seen such a change come over him that they were all hard pressed not to ask Bucky himself what the hell happened to bring out this long lost side of himself. Steve begged his friends not to say anything, they’d readily agreed, despite their curiosity. Steve was never more grateful for the amazing friends they had.

Steve was also curious, abhorrently so, but he figured Bucky would share it, whatever _it_ was with him when he was good and ready and he would wait as patiently as he could for that day. Natasha, however, wasn’t quite so patient it seemed.

A couple of weeks went by like this and they were nearing the middle of October, the leaves changing, the weather turning and everyone knew the chill of winter would be on its way soon enough. Might as well enjoy the fall weather while it was here.

So, Natasha slipped out one afternoon, assured that Bucky was with Steve, Tony, Sam and Clint playing video games in the communal living room with a box of muffins and some new scones open and being readily devoured on the coffee table in front of them. She figured she had some time to kill and decided to make the most of it.

It was a busy Tuesday morning as she made her way through the streets, an inconspicuous address in mind. She stopped across the street from said address and smiled softly to herself before looking both ways and crossing the street.

.

“_Wow-_“ Beckett breathed, looking up from where he’d been doodling in one of his sketchbooks.

Carter glanced over at his brother from the other side of the display, having been wiping down the glass after the bout of handsy children they’d had visit this morning had put their adorable grubby hands all over it. “What’s up?”

Beckett didn’t say anything, merely kept staring ahead at the doorway and curiosity getting the better of him, Carter turned to look, just in time to see a gorgeous red-headed woman reach for the door handle. When she pushed it open, the bell chimed above the door, a crisp autumn breeze swept in and with it. The gorgeous woman slipped inside, pulling the door shut behind her briskly and both Beckett and Carter’s eyes widened.

“_Hi-_“ Beckett suddenly greeted, much too loud. “Welcome to _Diana and Co._”

Carter tried not to laugh, Beckett was clearly smitten and if he hadn’t been gay, he’d probably be as well. She was beautiful, he wasn’t exactly blind. The woman smiled, fiercely sweet as she walked towards them and Carter swallowed hard as she shot him a glance before he got back to wiping down the display case while Beckett got up from his seat to serve her.

“Well, hello there,” She greeted warmly, smile still very much present as she stepped up to the counter. “What a beautiful cafe,” She admitted, sharp green eyes slipping around the place as she readjusted her scarf, her shoulders shifting in a light shiver beneath her coat.

“T-thank you, this must be your first time here?” Beckett guessed.

The woman hummed softly, nodding as she returned her gaze back to the young man. “It is,” She agreed. “But…I have tried quite a number of muffins and pastries from your cafe before. I have this friend, you see…”

As she trailed off, Beckett cast a look to Carter who’d suddenly frozen at their side, face having gone a touch pale in sudden recognition, though Beckett was apparently a little slower to catch up. “_Oh?_ That’s great! What can I get for you?” He asked, excitement clear in his voice; they all secretly loved getting new customers hooked.

The red-head hummed again and Carter slowly moved around her to come back behind the counter to help Beckett if need be. “I think a cappuccino would be lovely, I’m not a fan of really sweet things like my friend, but I do like a good cappuccino and…” Her gaze cut away to the display case. “I really did like that cranberry lemon muffin my friend picked up last week.”

Beckett made a curious sound and went to check the display to see if they had any left. There were two. “We’ve got two left, look at that. Would you like one and the cappuccino then?”

The woman nodded, gaze slipping to Carter who was moving about rather stiffly as he went to the espresso machine to get her drink started. “I think that sounds perfect,” She agreed, pulling out her wallet as Beckett punched a couple of prices into the register.

“Awesome, that’ll be…$3.95,” He told her. “Carter will be finished with your cappuccino in just a moment, I’ll grab your muffin. Is it for here or to go?”

“To go, I think,” She smiled, pulling a twenty from her wallet and pressing it into his hand.

Beckett nodded, ringing her through and handing her back her change as Carter busied himself with her order. “Thank you very much, I hope you have a great day, miss. Here’s your muffin and your drink will be ready at the end there-“ He motioned towards the little pickup area at the far end of the counter before handing her a small paper bag with her muffin safely tucked therein. “We hope to see you again soon.”

She smiled sweetly and nodded, taking her muffin and murmuring her thanks before tucking a $10 bill into the tip jar. Beckett beamed at her so brightly and she found herself fighting a smirk at his response as she moved down to where Carter was finishing up with her drink. She arrived just as the young blond turned, take away cup safely in hand.

“W-would you like cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg or chocolate on your cappuccino?” He asked, clearly nervous and the woman smiled, wrapping her hand carefully around his before supporting the bottom of the cup.

He withdrew his hand carefully, when she let him. “Just cinnamon is fine,” She whispered, watching as he reached for one of the labelled shakers beside them and carefully dusted the top of her drink with it.

“No problem,” He practically squeaked and her smile grew.

“Listen…Carter, right?” She asked him quietly, leaning over the counter a little to be able to speak a little softer to him.

“Y-yeah?” He said hesitantly, unable to look away.

“Can you do me a favour and not tell James I came by? I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about,” She admitted, smiling coyly at the young man as he appeared to flounder for a moment or three.

“The fuss?” He asked curiously, brow furrowing in obvious confusion before the door to the back alley dinged as it opened and in stepped a sweaty, albeit, _lovely_ looking young woman who was near breathless, all smiles and pink cheeks, clad in her workout gear.

“_Ah-_“ The red-head murmured, straightening up. “That would be the fuss.”

Carter’s eyes widened when he realized she was focused on something behind him and he quickly looked over his shoulder to see Diana coming in from the cold, cheeks pink from her morning run. His eyes were comically large when he turned back to the red-head. “_Diana?_” He blurted unthinkingly.

The red-head smirked, gaze now back on the young man. “I suppose she’s the owner, yes?”

“Yeah,” He breathed. “S-so you, you’re James’…I mean, you’re-“

“_Natasha,_” She offered, obviously enamoured by the young man. “I’m James’ friend.”

“Yeah…I…I know who you are,” He barely dared to whisper.

Natasha hummed, obviously pleased. “Yes, well…will you keep my secret?”

Carter was nodding before she’d even finished speaking. “Yep, I will. Don’t have to ask me twice.”

She laughed lightly, obviously pleased. “Good kid, aren’t you?” She said teasingly and he grinned wryly at the woman.

“Most of the time,” His sheepish grin won her over and she smirked, shaking her head.

“Thank you for the drink and the muffin,” She nodded to him as she raised her cup to her lips to take a sip, already turning and heading for the door.

Carter made an embarrassed noise when she suddenly _mmmm’d _as she took her first sip and then she was out the door, his softly spoken, _you’re welcome_, only heard by Beckett who was looking at him in exasperation.

“_Dude-_“ Beckett muttered, but Carter only grinned and threw a tea-towel at his brother.

“You’re so oblivious it’s embarrassing,” He admitted, watching as Beckett’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“What?”

Carter rolled his eyes. “That was _The_ Black Widow, you know, Natasha Romanov?”

Beckett’s face paled. “No it wasn’t.”

Carter made a face, one that said _sorry about your luck, but yeah, it was_ and Beckett just about had an aneurysm. “Of course it was,” Beckett breathed and Carter ran a nervous hand through his hair.

“Yep,” He agreed, popping the _p_.

.

The boys managed to keep their little meeting with Natasha a secret from James and Diana too. Diana was oblivious to most things that went on outside of the cafe, however, so it wasn’t exactly difficult. She rarely watched television or read the paper or anything, disliking the news and hearing about all the bad in the world that surrounded them, so they figured even if she’d met Natasha, she might not recognize her. Case and point, James B. Barnes.

But, just because they’d managed to keep their secret, didn’t mean Natasha had.

Not two days later, Clint and Sam had crept up on the little hot spot, slipping inside when a couple of teenagers opened the door just ahead of them. The place was packed with a lunch rush and only after Clint had confirmed that Bucky was at the gym with Steve, did the two slip out to do some investigating of their own.

The two easily joined the line and quietly looked around themselves to take in their surroundings, Clint ogling the display case full of sweets, while Sam perused the drink menu, trying to narrow down what he might have, that is until, he caught sight of the woman behind the counter smiling and conversing with a customer over her shoulder as she readied their order at the beast of an espresso machine.

“Huh,” Sam murmured, momentarily stunned.

She was pretty, dark hair, dark eyes, perhaps in her early thirties with a shapely body and killer thighs. He arched his brow, turning back to his friend. Clint’s head jerked up from where he’d been half bent over to get a proper look-see from their place in line at all the sweets. “What?”

“I think I found the fuss Nat was talking about,” Sam admitted, gaze flickering back to the woman, a slow smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.

Clint blinked, casting his gaze along the same line of Sam’s gaze and he stilled when he caught sight of the brunette laughing as she handed over a hot drink to a customer. “Well, would you look at that…”

Sam hummed and they didn’t say anything more about it, instead deciding what they wanted to have for lunch and whether they wanted to stick around or not. They eventually decided to stay, ordering sandwiches and soups along with their fancy lattes, both having also decided to order a muffin as well. The two young men that served them at the register were kind, all smiles and happy laughter amongst one another as they took their orders, complimenting them on their great choices.

Sam paid, while Clint tipped and soon they were waiting at the end of the counter with another customer for the drinks, while Carter, who appeared to be the older of the two men, prepared their sandwiches and the young woman-_Diana_-as they’d quickly overheard, went ahead and prepared their drinks with a skill both men were a little envious of.

They were thanked for their orders, wished a happy lunch and a _hope we see you again_, eagerly delivered by all three employees. To say that Sam and Clint were impressed would be an understatement. So, they settled in to a table together with their food and drinks, looking more than a touch surprised and enamoured by the place and the people who worked there.

“So-“ Clint said around a mouthful of his pastrami sandwich, Sam rolling his eyes as he sent a few little crumbs tumbling down to his plate. “This is amazing. I’m sort of impressed.”

Sam hummed, taking a sip of his latte, a vanilla caramel monstrosity he just couldn’t bear to pass up…and then promptly _moaned. _Clint raised an eyebrow at his friend. “It can’t be that goo-“

But Sam wasn’t listening to him and was now cradling his mug in both of his hands and taking a much larger sip and _moaning _**_again._** Clint frowned and then picked up his own latte, something he couldn’t remember the name of but sounded awesome with cinnamon and nutmeg and a bit of ginger. He looked down at it sceptically and then took a little whiff before taking a slow sip. He didn’t realize he was moaning until Sam nudged him under the table, a couple of girls at the next table over having started giggling at his display.

“Told you,” Sam huffed, giving the girls a polite smile and turning back to his soup.

“_Sam_,” Clint croaked. “This is the best latte I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

Sam huffed a soft laugh, shaking his head in exasperation as he nodded. “Not disagreeing with you, buddy.”

They ate the rest of their lunch in quiet, though happy noises were interspersed with each new bite. The food was great, the drinks were excellent, the atmosphere was pleasant, cozy, comfortable. The service…well, Sam was still trying to wrap his head around the three employees he’d seen. The two younger men were happy, boisterous as they teased each other behind the counter as they busied themselves with clean up and customer orders. They got along rather well together, did their jobs exceptionally well too. Sam was hard pressed not to get caught up on the _woman_ behind the counter, however.

She was beautiful, pretty in a way that Sam recognized was without conscious effort. She didn’t appear to have any makeup on, her hair was a bit of a mess, but clean, relatively any way. She had bits of flour and chocolate, maybe icing sugar too that randomly appeared on her cheeks or at her temples. Her dark apron was covered in her baking, the sleeves of her shirt too. She was dishevelled in a _it’s been a very busy morning_ kind of way and he couldn’t help but find it rather endearing.

She was laughing, joking and smiling with the two younger men, hugging them and tickling them, teasing them in much the same way that they teased each other, even her when they felt brave enough. He thought they might be related, but Diana’s features were so clearly different, he wasn’t really sure. Either way, they acted like family and he thought that was good enough for him.

“So, you think she’s the reason Barnes is keeping this place on the down low?” Sam asked after a while.

They’d both finished their lunches and were merely nibbling on their muffins as they finished up their lattes. Clint cast a glance over to their left, gaze sweeping over to where Diana was busy at her computer with something while Beckett and Carter sat down opposite her to enjoy their own lunches, both keeping an eye on the cafe as they ate.

“I think if anything’s going to be reason enough for him to keep this place to himself, it’s got to be a girl. He tells Steve everything, he’s been super friendly and open lately, so much more social. Nearly a complete 180 since he came back and yeah, Steve’s told us he used to be quite the charmer in the past, social butterfly and all that, but you and I both know what Bucky was like when he first arrived,” Clint admitted.

Sam nodded thoughtfully. “It’s true, he was quiet, skittish…now though? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile so much, _laugh_ so much as I did the other night. It was something else, to see that side of him, and Steve had been so worried.”

Clint hummed. Steve had been worried, had confided in him and Nat a couple of times, wondering if Bucky would ever relax enough to be truly happy again. That had only been a month ago. If the last couple of weeks were anything to go by, they were sure he was well on his way. He was more at ease nowadays than they’d ever seen him.

“He deserves to be happy,” Clint said decisively, earning a smile from his friend.

“You’re right there, Barton,” He agreed, looking over at Diana as she smacked the younger man lightly with a tea towel for something he’d said.

They were all laughing, sitting at their table in their little bakery, grinning something awful at each other, gazes filled with love and fondness. Sam couldn’t bring himself to look away and found that even when he did, he was still smiling. Clint wasn’t fairing much better.

.

Steve was a bad, _bad_ friend. Here he was, first thing on a Saturday morning, having _lied_ to Bucky as he went for his morning run…only to hide back and wait for Bucky to leave first because he was going to follow him. Again, Steve was a bad, _bad_ friend. But, he was concerned and…he wanted to make sure Bucky was okay…that was all, as soon as he saw that he was okay, he’d leave and that’d be it.

Steve was never good at being stealthy, but he managed. He’d followed his friend a few blocks over to a little cafe, ball-cap pulled low, black leather jacket drawn up tight around his neck…okay, so wearing all black and attempting to look as inconspicuous as possible probably wasn’t the smartest move, but it was working, at least for right now.

He watched as Bucky was let in by a young woman, the _open_ sign turning on a moment later and Steve was careful as he moved across the street to get a better look. He…he wasn’t sure what he was looking at exactly. Bucky was leaning up at the counter as he watched the young woman putter about, putting together something for him it seemed. It wasn’t long before the woman was coming back over, a warm smile on her pretty face as she handed over a ceramic mug filled with something steaming. Steve was not at all prepared for the dazzling smile Bucky gave her in response as he took a tentative sip of whatever was in the mug, the woman still watching for his reaction as she beamed at him, a light blush colouring her cheeks.

Steve was walking away before he’d even made the conscious decision to walk away in the first place. If he maybe had a ridiculously happy smile plastered on his face thanks to what he’d witnessed, _well_, no one needed to know but him.

One mystery down then, Bucky was okay,_ happy_ and that was all Steve had wanted to be sure of. No more spying.

.

Tony Stark was terrible at espionage. He’d been told time and time again that he simply could not handle it. Go figure, being Tony Stark and all. So, there really was nothing for it when he drove up to _Diana & Co. _that very next Monday morning at 9:30am, ostentatious in his appearance, as was per usual. He’d made sure to deck himself out in one of his favourite grey suits, a _Tom Ford_ number that had Steve drooling all over him that very morning. His flashy blue sunglasses in place, hair artfully styled, goatee combed and trademark grin plastered on his handsome face, his shiny black dress shoes clicking merrily along the sidewalk as he stepped out of his newest black _Audi; _which he left parked illegally just outside and headed for the ornate wooden door of the cafe.

He was immediately greeted with the tantalizing smell of coffee, baked goods and chocolate. He inwardly groaned at the aromas surrounding him. This was his Heaven, it had to be. He let his gaze sweep across the cafe which wasn’t terribly busy or anything, maybe three or four customers sitting at tables scattered around the small space enjoying their morning coffees and breakfasts. Tony somehow managed to snag everyone’s eyes in the place, including the cute brunette standing at the counter next to the register.

She seemed to be frozen in place as she spotted him, jaw dropping open in obvious recognition before he’d even removed his sunglasses. _Bingo._ Tony thought to himself, striding confidently towards the counter. She managed to pull herself together as he came to a stop on the other side.

“G-good morning, Mr. Stark. Welcome to _Diana and Co._ what can I get for you?” She sounded breathless and awestruck, exactly what he’d been going for, mind you, it never really was all that difficult for him to garner such a reaction from a pretty young woman.

“Welcome me indeed,” He teased, removing his sunglasses in a flourish as he leaned on the counter in front of her to better flash her with the trademark Tony Stark charm. “What’s your specialty, _darling?_”

She huffed a startled laugh at the display and wriggled her hands free of the tea towel she’d been fussing with, setting it down on the counter beside her. “Um, coffee, sir. Though I make some rather unique lattes, I’ve been told.”

“Is that so?” Tony drawled, amused and enamoured as she blushed sweetly. “Well then, I think I’d like for you to surprise me.”

The woman blinked, blushing furiously, but then she nodded, resolve clearly settling over her. “Of course, Mr. Stark,” She agreed and then quickly got to work.

Tony watched, enraptured as she turned and headed for a beast of an espresso machine and immediately started grinding beans and working to make him a drink. He watched as she made two espressos and then picked up a disposable cup and tipped them inside gently. He then watched as she went about steaming milk, adding in a few spices that he couldn’t quite see as she went. He was surprised when she then grabbed the cup with the espresso and added a drop of dark liquid to it before pouring the steamed milk and spices into it slowly.

When that was done, she slipped a coffee sleeve over the outside of the cup, picked up one of the shakers she’d previously used and put a dash of whatever it was on top before coming back to the register and setting it down on the counter. Tony watched with an impressed gaze as she slid it across the counter towards him slowly.

“Ta-da,” She announced, suddenly looking bashful and sweet, not at all like the sure _genius_ she’d appeared to be while she made him what looked to be a perfect latte.

The only question remained, was whether or not it tasted the part of a perfect latte. Tony raised a brow at her curiously and she motioned towards it. “What is it?”

She bit her plush lower lip lightly, shrugging. “It doesn’t have a name, I sort of just-“ She shrugged again. “Made it up as I went.”

Tony’s brow rose higher at that. “Cocky.”

At this, she smirked, cocking her head to the side as she watched him. “Brave, more like.”

Tony grinned and it was purely genuine. He maybe liked her a little bit. “Alright, _Diana_,” He murmured, gaze flickering over the name tag she had pinned to her apron, delighting when it merely made her blush just that much more.

Tony picked up the latte carefully and raised it to his lips, though he didn’t taste right away and instead breathed in the scent of it for a long moment instead. He could smell vanilla and he was pretty sure there was chocolate shavings over the top, not overbearing, just lightly grated flakes that stood out atop the milky foam. He looked over the rim of the cup once more to see the young woman watching him closely, looking eager and curious, maybe a touch nervous too. He figured he’d put her out of her misery, so, he took a sip.

It was hot, but…actually sort of the perfect temperature for drinking. But…the temperature was the least of his focus right then. Because the taste? _Holy fucking hell_. Tony was groaning softly before he could stop himself as his tastebuds came alive with the different flavours, not too sweet at all, lots of vanilla, like _real_ vanilla. He lowered the cup reluctantly to pin the woman who had made this perfect latte as he swallowed the mouthful.

“Oh my _God,_” He breathed, dumbfounded.

Diana was looking to him in curious surprise, brows so high and cheeks incredibly pink and Tony was a little bit smitten. “Who are you and why aren’t you working for me?” He breathed.

Diana spluttered, blushing furiously as she shook her head. “Because you own a tech company and not a coffee company?”

Tony grinned and it threw her a bit, how cheeky he could be. She really shouldn’t have been surprised. This was Tony Stark, after all. “That…is true. But you see, I _love_ coffee. Pretty sure I’m made up of 90% coffee,” He admitted, chuckling softly as she seemed to relax, giving him a warm smile. “And this, my dear? Is the best coffee I think I’ve ever tasted, what the hell did you put in this?”

Diana’s smile only turned cheeky then. “Oh, well, it’s a secret. If I told you-“

“She’d have to kill you-“ Interrupted a young blond who had suddenly appeared at her side.

Tony and Diana both looked towards the newcomer and Diana’s smile softened as Carter stepped up beside her and she could see Beckett having emerged from their apartment downstairs and was watching them with wide shocked eyes.

“Oh, well then, I suppose it’ll have to remain a secret…for now,” Tony teased, eyeing up the young man. “And who might you be, sweetheart?” He queried, gaze flickering to Beckett for only a moment.

Carter took a deeper breath then, trying to keep a blush from rising to his cheeks. “I’m Carter, that’s-“ He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Beckett and this-“ The blond smiled then, shifting to drape his arm around Diana’s shoulder and drawing her in close. “Is Diana, our Ma…and the owner of _Diana & Co._”

Tony’s smile only grew. “Is that so,” He murmured, gaze flickering between the three. “Well, I should probably tell you, Carter…that your Mother, makes one mean cup of coffee.”

Carter laughed at this. “Don’t I know it.”

Tony chuckled too, shaking his head as he took another whiff of the latte still cradled in his hand. “I’ve recently been privy to a number of your baked goods, my dear and I have to say, you’ve got me hooked and that was _before_ I’d tasted your coffee.”

Diana blinked, Carter’s arm slipping away from her shoulders in their obvious surprise. “Really?” She asked.

Tony nodded, gaze flickering absently over the display case as he took a step to the side to better survey the treats therein. “Mhmm, they were all delicious and well, I’m having this small event next Saturday night…and I was wondering if you’d consider catering for me…and perhaps coming along to make drinks for my guests.”

Diana looked absolutely speechless, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to digest what he was asking of her. “Y-you-“

“She’ll do it-“ Carter blurted.

Tony raised a brow, turning his gaze back to the young man and then settling on Diana. “Will you?”

Diana was nodding before she’d made the conscious decision to do so. “Y-yes, but um…I’ll need help-“

“_Perfect!_” Tony announced, you can bring your boys along to help. I’ll have Miss Potts contact you shortly with all of the details. She’ll make sure it’s all worked out and that you have everything you need.”

Diana was in absolute disbelief as she continued nodding, as if in a daze as Tony came back to the counter and pulled out his wallet. Carter was already insisting it be on the house, but Tony was never one to do things by halves of course, so he slid a $100 bill across the counter towards them and then tucked another couple of bills in the tip jar and just as he turned to go, Diana finally found her voice.

“_Wait-_“ She breathed, scrambling to grab one of their business cards and quickly scribbled a cellphone number down on the back of the card before she was coming around the counter to hand it to him. “S-so you can call me directly.”

Tony smiled at her sweetly, donning his sunglasses once more before plucking the business card from her fingers and tucking in inside the breast pocket of his suit. “Thank you, darling. I look forward to seeing you and the boys on Saturday. Thank you for the latte, I’m glad I got to finally see what all the fuss was about.”

Diana blinked, utterly baffled as Tony breezed out of there with a wave and a charming smile, the customers still seated in the cafe staring as he exited in stunned disbelief. Diana was too busy looking after the genius incredulously, to notice how every eye in the place seemed to turn itself on her as his car peeled away from the curb and further failed to notice how Carter and Beckett both shared a very knowing look with one another beside her.


	4. Chapter 4

“I think I need to work on my latte art,” Diana sighed, having been doodling in the foam of her own latte for the past five minutes.

“I thought you’d stopped wanting to do that, said it was a little too cheesy?” Beckett sighed, coming over and leaning on the counter beside her to get a look-see.

She’d done a simple leaf in this one, though it was a bit wonky, he could tell it was something he’d actually taught her ages ago. She wasn’t as great with pouring the milk exactly right, so she’d simply tried _drawing_ with one of her thin pastry brushes instead. A trick he’d also taught her when she was unable to use the steamed milk properly.

She sighed deeply, unhappy with the result. “It’s not that it looks cheesy I guess…I think I just got discouraged when I couldn’t get them to turn out perfect enough,” She admitted, putting down her brush and sitting back on her stool.

She and Beckett were in the kitchen while Carter wiped down some of the tables and chatted with a couple of their regulars. Beckett’s gaze flickered back to her and he huffed lightly. “You know, I think you once told me something along the lines of, _practice makes perfect?_” He teased, knocking his shoulder lightly against hers.

Diana huffed, nodding as she got up from her seat, abandoning her now cold latte. “I know, I know…I just can’t stand the thought of putting a terrible piece of art on someones drink and having them laugh at me or something.”

“_Diana-_“ Beckett admonished. “No one’s going to laugh at you, and even if they did, Carter and I will just give them the stink-eye, maybe a sneeze-muffin, you know how it is-“

Diana barked out a surprised laugh, shaking her head as she came back over with a couple of croissants for them to share. “You been watching my _Friends _DVD’s, Becks?”

“That’s besides the point,” He said haughtily, taking the offered croissant to nibble on. “You shouldn’t be afraid of what other people think. You run one of the nicest shops in town. You know, _Starbucks_ doesn’t do latte art, nor do they use the kinds of beans and quality ingredients you do. You give exceptional products for incredible prices and all with much more natural ingredients too, so if people are going to laugh at your latte art? You don’t want them as a customer anyway, they can go back to _Starbucks _and drink their liquid sugar.”

Diana huffed, picking off a piece of her croissant to nibble on, but she didn’t agree or disagree. Beckett rolled his eyes. “Art is art, Dy. I think our customers would love to see something different like that on their drinks. Might even brighten up their day a little,” He shrugged. “If you want to get better, you need to practice, so-“ He gestured to _The Beast. _“I think I’d love a chai latte right about now.”

Diana looked to him, breathing out through her nose as she set her croissant down. “Alright, _challenge accepted._”

“That’s the spirit,” He chuckled, smiling at her as she got up and started for the espresso machine.

He couldn’t help but notice that James was smiling softly at him from across the cafe, having apparently witnessed the exchange while he sipped his morning coffee. The guy was clearly smitten with Diana, always shooting her furtive glances that she missed by a breath. It was sweet…and it’d only been a couple of weeks since they’d met but he was pretty sure Diana had a thing for him too. Now if he could just convince one of them to ask the other out, they might actually get somewhere.

Just then, he was startled out of his thoughts by Diana returning with his latte and a bit of steamed milk to attempt a design. He grinned at her and she grinned right back.

They spent the next twenty minutes practising just simple designs, a heart, a leaf, some swirls. She was shaky while pouring, but she kept trying, not wanting to give up yet. Beckett tried to keep encouraging her and soon Carter had joined in on the fun.

“Hey, I was thinking,” Beckett sighed, putting his back to the cafe while he spoke to her.

“Hmm?” She asked, still attempting to make a three tiered leaf on another latte.

They were going to be bouncing off the walls soon for sure if they kept drinking the damn things. “Why don’t you go chat with James? Show him what you’ve been working on.”

“What?” She blurted, gaze snapping up to his in surprise. “W-why would I do that?”

Beckett shrugged and tried to ignore the weight of Carter’s stare from beside Diana as he attempted to keep his expression neutral. “Well, he’s been watching you all morning, I just thought maybe you’d like to show him what you’re working on, say hello and I dunno…just _chat?_”

Diana blinked at him slowly, glancing around nervously before letting her gaze flit over to the corner where James sat quietly, looking out the window at the people passing. She swallowed hard. “I-I could maybe go say hi.”

Beckett tried not to grin as he nodded. “Why don’t you make him a latte, put a leaf on it like that one?” He suggested, gesturing to the latte she’d just made for Carter.

She nodded slowly and then a bit more eager. “Y-yeah, that. I can do that.”

Beckett smiled, clearly pleased he’d managed to lead her this far. “Great, Carter and I will watch the front, why don’t you take over a couple of muffins and chat with him then. He didn’t want a muffin earlier, just had a breakfast bagel.”

She was nodding as she got up, moved away to head towards the espresso machine to start preparing something. Beckett chanced a glance at Carter to find his brother grinning and trying to hide it behind his hand and couldn’t help grinning as well with a waggle of eyebrows.

The boys watched eagerly as she prepared a drink, doing her best to create a simple leaf with the steamed milk and then plating a blueberry muffin to bring to James. She was biting her lip the whole time, so focused on her task that she hadn’t noticed their stares and even went so far as to ignore them as she came around the counter and actually realized that they’d probably been watching her the whole time. She was blushing and shaking a little with nerves as she approached James’ table and Carter and Beckett really did try not to stare…but…

.

Bucky turned when he felt a presence approaching and looked up into the smiling face of Diana…holding a mug of something steaming and a…muffin. He was already smiling before he’d finished looking her over, noting her apron was just as messily covered in her morning’s baking, her cheeks pink and…covered in flour and what appeared to be chocolate. Her hair was a bit of a disaster, but a lovely one, drawn back in a high ponytail and he…he needed to say something.

“H-hi-“

She smiled at him, ducking her head a little. “Hey, I was working on something different this morning and I thought I’d come say hello, um, bring you a muffin and see if you were thirsty?”

Bucky blinked, taken off guard, he nodded. “Oh, that’s…that’s sweet of you,” He admitted, watching as she set the plate with the muffin down on his table and then tentatively placed the mug in front of him.

Bucky’s eyes widened with what he saw.

“Oh _wow-_“ He breathed, taken-aback.

Diana’s cheeks flushed, not sure if that was a good or bad _oh wow_. “What I’ve been working on…” She said tentatively. “I well, I have this event I’m supposed to cater and be like…a hired barista for the evening on Saturday? And…I was thinking it might be something nice to attempt to practice for it, make it a bit more special, you know?”

Bucky blinked, finally tearing his gaze from the little piece of art and positively _beamed_ at her as she stood there looking more and more nervous, _embarrassed_ in front of him. That just wouldn’t do.

“This is beautiful, _wow,_ I’ve never seen anything like this before. I didn’t realize it was possible-“ He continued, rather in awe over something so simple.

Diana blinked in obvious surprise. “Latte art? Um, yeah, been around for a long time I guess, though not really around here, not with all the _Starbucks_ on every corner and such,” She chuckled, looking rather bashful now as she rubbed at her arm self-consciously.

Bucky shook his head gently. “I’ve never seen something like this before, this is lovely. Thank you, I think it’s beautiful. W-why don’t you have a seat? You can tell me how you made it…if it’s not too much trouble.”

Diana smiled tentatively, nodding as she glanced back over her shoulder to where the boys were trying not to look at them. She huffed under her breath, figuring they really wouldn’t mind if she sat down for a little while and carefully slipped into the seat across from him.

Bucky smiled at her kindly, gesturing to the muffin. “Want to share?”

And Diana was helplessly gone on him.

They spent the better part of half an hour chatting about latte art, the little cafe and other little things that came about. Bucky asked her about the boys, she asked him about his work…

“It’s uh…I’m between jobs really…at the moment. It’s uh…a bit complicated,” He’d told her gently and she’d nodded, smiled reassuringly and then quietly ducked her head and whispered, “Thank you for your service.”

Bucky blinked, caught off guard. “Pardon?”

Diana blew out a slow breath and then sat up a bit straighter, cheeks still lightly flushed as she forced herself to meet his wide-eyed blue gaze. “You’re a veteran, right?”

Bucky floundered.

He felt as if he were suddenly underwater, clawing his way to the surface and just…couldn’t…reach-

“I’m sorry,” She murmured. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” She assured quickly. “I just…you sit where you can see the exits, you’re always scanning the room…the way you carry yourself, um…I knew a couple of vets growing up and I…well it’s easy for me to recognize.”

“Oh-“ Bucky said dumbly. “I-I’m sorry, you, you didn’t upset me. I’m just…surprised you could tell,” He admitted

She nodded, looking down at the table between them, to where Bucky’s hand was curled protectively around the mug, the left one, still encased in a glove, the sleeve of his athletic shirt pulled down past his wrist. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable then,” She amended, reaching out and carefully clasping her hand over his as he cradled the mug. “Thank you for your service, James,” She repeated, just as quiet.

Bucky could do nothing more than nod, knowing-_seeing-_that she was touching his…_that hand._ He felt a little at a loss. Then his phone rang. Diana released his hand as he went and fished his phone out of his coat pocket. It didn’t usually ring unless there was an issue or Steve had tried calling him two or three times and he’d missed it.

“Sorry I-“

She just smiled and waved him off, turning her gaze away as he quickly took out his phone. Sure enough, Steve had been trying to reach him. He declined the call and immediately sent a text, letting him know he was on his way back and he’d call in a moment.

“I have to go,” He said regretfully, turning his attention back to Diana who was starting to tidy up the table.

“That’s alright, James. I should get back to work anyway,” She admitted, smiling at him kindly as she picked up the empty plate and mug and got up from her seat.

He smiled at her gently, slipping on his coat and drawing his scarf around his throat. “Thank you again, yeah? I uh…this was nice.”

Diana blushed lightly as his grey-blue eyes met hers and she nodded. “It was nice…chatting with you. Um, I’m sure Carter has a box of sweets for you…if you’re not in too much of a hurry.”

“I’ve always got time for sweet things,” He murmured, blushing lightly himself as he watched her duck her head and bite her plush bottom lip.

He swallowed hard and tried not to let his mind go places before she was chuckling softly and heading towards the counter where sure enough, Carter had put together a box for him to take. He followed her quietly and slipped a few bills into their tip jar, enjoying the eye-roll he got in return as the kid handed over the box.

“Thanks, Carter and…thank you, Diana. I’ll see you later,” He told her, voice a soft murmur as he held the bag carefully and started for the door.

“Bye, James,” Reached his ears just as he pushed open the door.

He couldn’t bring himself to look back and let her see the ridiculous smile on his face. If he _had_ looked back, however, he would have seen it mirrored on hers.

.

The next few days passed quietly, Bucky returning to the cafe every morning, Diana doing her best not to blush all over the place and Carter and Beckett’s eyes were starting to hurt with the sheer amount of rolling they’d been doing at the pair. It was sort of hilarious, but also not.

If they had to see Diana stumble all over herself one more time, James was going to get an earful. As it was, James kept inviting her to join him to chat for a little after that and by the time Friday rolled around, Diana was too busy pulling out her hair to even glance in his direction.

“Sorry, James,” Carter sighed. “She’s been rather busy prepping for tomorrow night’s event. I can make you your latte, would you like a sandwich today?”

Bucky shook his head gently. “Actually, I’m a bit busy today too. I was hoping to just grab a latte on my way to an appointment, if that’s alright?”

“Of course!” He said happily and Bucky tried not to feel bad about asking if it was alright, even when he knew it was.

Carter wandered away once Bucky had asked for something caramel-y and while he was preparing the drink, he let his gaze wander over to where Diana was busy at one of the far counters cutting up what looked like assorted bars and barks of some kind. All delicious baked goods, as far as Bucky was concerned. He’d tried a couple of them before, but there were two or three he hadn’t come across yet. He smiled at her, so focused on her task and he really didn’t want to interrupt her, so, he turned his attention back to Carter, no Beckett in sight.

“Here you go,” The blond announced, passing him the takeaway cup and smiling at him kindly.

“Thanks, Carter. Say hi to Diana for me, Becks too. I don’t want to bother her while she’s so busy, but you guys enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you on Monday,” He explained, putting a bill in the jar before waving and heading to the door.

“Will do, bye, James,” Carter waved, smiling as he headed off.

.

Bucky can’t get his tie right and it’s driving him crazy. He sighs and turns to Steve…only, Steve isn’t right next to him like he was a minute ago. They’d been walking from Tony and Steve’s penthouse down to one of the event spaces on the premises and by they, he means the whole gang; Tony, Steve, Nat, Clint, Sam, Bruce, Wanda and even Thor. The rest were meeting them shortly or may actually already be there, he wasn’t really sure. It’s a thing Steve and Tony insist on before a benefit or gala, just to get together before any kind of public event, make them comfortable and then send them out to face the wolves. Only tonight, they’re not going to a public event, this is a private group event Tony and Pepper orchestrated just to bring everyone together, dance, relax, eat some food, socialize.

They hadn’t planned anything like this for the group in a while and they thought it would be nice just to celebrate well_,_ _being here_. It was an excuse to get all fancied up, is what it was. Bucky secretly liked it, so he didn’t bother complaining. Although, he really was struggling with the silly bow tie Steve insisted looked good on him and now Steve was…

At the end of the hallway as the others gathered around the door peering in, some already having slipped past it to go inside and join the others…and there was Steve glaring at Tony and murmuring, “You haven’t told him yet?” While shooting Bucky a quick glance.

Bucky arched a brow inquisitively, knowing they were obviously speaking about him. “Told me what?” He asked, making sure to project his voice so they both could hear and subsequently, the remainder of their little group.

Steve gave Tony a quick push, the genius looking a bit flustered at having been called out, but he recovered quickly, striding over to where Bucky had been fussing by the hallway mirror, with Steve in tow. Natasha’s sigh of _busted_, did not go unnoticed.

Bucky’s eyes narrowed at her but she merely raised her glass of champagne she’d brought along with her to her lips to hide the beginnings of a smile before she slipped off through the doors with the others. Bucky glared harder.

“Oh, well…there’s a surprise, you see,” Tony admitted, smiling and nodding, trying to garner Bucky’s interest and not his wrath.

Bucky rolled his eyes, very much used to Tony and his games. “Spill, Tony,” He sighed, turning back to fuss with his bowtie.

Steve saved him and stepped up before his friend, batting his hands away gently and took over adjusting the black bowtie for him. Bucky let him, because how else was his tie going to be perfect? He turned his attention back to Tony who was looking at him a touch nervously.

“Well, it’s a surprise really-“

“_Tony-_“ Steve said, tone brooking no room for argument.

Tony wilted and nodded. “Okay, so-“ He cleared his throat lightly. “Pep was having trouble finding a theme for the party, you know how it is, always planning galas and the like, you eventually run out of ideas and it’s not like you _need _to have a theme, but she insisted and well, _I _had an idea and so I went on a little field trip to that bakery you like so much….”

Steve had finished fixing his tie and was watching Bucky with a quiet intensity, waiting for a reaction, clearly. But Bucky just…didn’t react. He blinked, took a slow breath and blinked some more and Tony really didn’t do well with quiet on the best of days so…

“I met Diana and her boys, she made me the world’s best latte and I hired her for tonight’s party. She told Pepper she was going to be making all kinds of sweets and-on top of _that-_she’s _also_ going to be our personal barista for the party. There’s a bar all set up for her to prepare drinks, she even has her servers license so she’ll be making some fancy coffees and such and yeah. I thought it would be a nice surprise is all,” Tony rambled, all the while, Bucky’s face fell further and further.

Steve was looking at him in concern now, watching his friends face turn rather pale. “Bucky?”

“I’m fine,” He replied distantly, taking a step away from the blond, Tony’s face growing stricken when he realized he’d maybe mad a mistake.

“What’s wrong, Buck?” Steve asked in concern. “We thought you’d be happy to see them…”

“I-I will be, sure. She’s…she’s very sweet,” Bucky agreed, looking away, glancing past them both to look at the open doors to the party.

He could hear people talking, laughing, music, the clinking of glasses. He was sure everyone was having a good time and he…he did want to see Diana, the kids too. He _liked_ them. He blew out a slow breath, some of his colour coming back to him as he let himself look between his friends.

“She just…doesn’t know who I am…exactly,” He confessed, blushing deeply now that it was out there. “She knows me…she’s a friend…so are Carter and Becks…just, I think they know who I am, pretty sure actually. But-but not Diana,” He admitted.

Tony and Steve both blinked, a bit surprised by this, clearly. “Oh, well, that’s not bad, Buck,” Steve murmured, reaching out to clasp a hand over Bucky’s bicep.

Bucky pushed out a rough breath and nodded, maybe a touch too quick. Tony was giving him a sympathetic smile as he glanced towards the open door. “She seemed really nice, Bucky. I don’t think there’s a chance she’ll react badly,” Tony offered.

Bucky made a soft noise then, shrugging lightly. “I just don’t want her to be mad or anything, thinking I kept it from her on purpose…it just…hasn’t come up. Maybe she does know, the boys could have told her, but…I don’t think she does know.”

Steve nodded, stroking his thumb gently along Bucky’s arm. “Don’t think too hard about it, alright? I’d love it if you introduced me to her, if you feel up to it?”

Bucky nodded gently. Everyone loved Steve, maybe she’d take it easy on him if Steve flashed his puppy-dog eyes at her. He inwardly chuckled at the thought. “Yeah…uh, I can do that,” He agreed, smoothing an idle hand down the front of his favourite blue suit and adjusting his blazer.

Steve gave him one of those blinding smiles and Bucky’s entire demeanour lightened, knowing he’d made his friend happy. He smiled back, tentative and soft and Tony who had remained blissfully quiet for a minute or two perked up, slinging an arm around Bucky’s broad shoulders and tugging him in close.

“_Perfect!_” He announced. “Now, let’s get in there, shall we?”

Bucky simply nodded, still smiling softly as he followed the pair into the party. It wasn’t overly loud inside, but with the 30 or so people therein, it did get a touch noisy with both music and conversation. Tony slipped away almost instantly once he’d caught sight of someone or other and Bucky was left standing just inside the doors with Steve beside him, a reassuring presence like always. He let his gaze slide over the crowd, catching sight of Peter, Ned and MJ, even Scott and Hope, Maria, Coulson, Fury, Pepper and even Sharon. It was a good group, a good turn out.

He took a deeper breath and let himself look a little further into the room. Three were tables of food set up all over the place, a couple of waiters wandering around with trays of drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The room was dimmed, fancy chandeliers and candles lit up on the tables, pretty flowers set up on some of them as well. And then he caught sight of Beckett and Carter smiling and chatting with MJ, Ned, Wanda and Peter at one of the dessert tables that had been set up.

There were all kinds of sweets there, little signs with the names of said treats that Beckett and Carter seemed all too happy to talk about with the teens. Bucky was already feeling better about this, seeing the boys smiling and chatting away with the younger crowd. They were all dressed up for the occasion too, though they had their aprons on from the shop with the cafe’s logo. They cleaned up rather well, go figure.

His gaze flickered abruptly then, when he caught wind of Diana’s wonderful laughter, his gaze instantly following the sound to where she was standing behind one of the bars in the room preparing a drink of some kind…and talking to Thor. Bucky’s breath caught, seeing her blushing, smiling and laughing so brightly while she fiddled with a glass mug and was not for the first time, struck by her beauty, her sweet charm…

He swallowed hard, rooted to the spot as he let his eyes drift over her flushed features, the curve of her lips as she smiled, the brightness in her dark brown eyes. He followed the curve of her jaw, the slope of her neck…she wasn’t wearing her usual uniform, no cream shirt, no black pants…

He swallowed hard as she turned her back to them and started fiddling with an espresso machine and Bucky nearly had a heart attack. She must have been wearing a dress, because the low back was absolutely _striking_ in it’s beauty. Her gorgeous milky skin was bared quite low, two slim criss-crossing black straps across the tops of her shoulders making sure the garment didn’t just slip right off. When she turned again, he caught a flash of silver sparkles amongst the black material beneath the apron she was wearing.

She looked _stunning_, her long hair braided back in a sort of dutch style and if Bucky knew his braids right, a fishtail braid draped over her left shoulder. He swallowed hard, watching as she brought over another glass mug filled with what he assumed was a latte or cappuccino and then began to pour steamed milk over the top, no doubt creating a design.

Thor’s laughter was absolutely delighted as she pushed it across the counter towards him when she was finished and Bucky could hear his boisterous _thank you’s_ all the way over here before the god of thunder walked away, drinks in hand. He couldn’t look away as Diana murmured her thanks as well and then turned back to tidy up her space, still smiling and blushing lightly as she shot Carter and Beckett glances, just to make sure they were doing okay, no doubt. The boys remained oblivious to her concern and she soon turned her attention back to the room in case anyone else approached her and wanted a drink.

“Buck?” Steve’s soft voice filtered in and Bucky quickly turned his attention to his friend.

The blond was watching him with a teasing smile on his face. “Someone catch your eye?”

Bucky huffed, shaking his head but didn’t disagree. “Come on, pal. I got someone I’d like you to meet,” He admitted, unable to suppress his smile as he started leading his friend across the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Diana looked up as a shadow approached and was surprised to find, “_James_,” she breathed, all the air escaping her lungs in a breathy rush.

“Hi, Diana,” Bucky greeted, voice soft and a little more timid than he’d been around her lately.

“_Wow_, I didn’t expect to see you here…you, you look great,” She admitted, a bit breathlessly, gaze sweeping over his frame, taking in the gorgeous dark suit, the brightness in his eyes, the blush to his cheeks and the neat French braid his dark hair was pulled back into.

Bucky cleared his throat slightly, never letting his gaze stray from her beautiful face. “You look lovely, Diana…as always.”

She flushed a little at that, her cheeks pinking up sweetly and Bucky’s timid smile grew a little wider…and then her gaze was flickering to where Steve shifted slightly beside him and it made Bucky’s breathing stop when she finally let her gaze slip fully to the blond beefcake at his side. He watched as her eyes seemed to widen almost comically so as she took in the sight of Captain America in all his glory standing beside well, _him._

He tried not to grimace at the thought and instead focused his attention back on her. “Uh…this is-“

“Captain Rogers,” She breathed, one of her delicate hands reaching out to him and Bucky watched as Steve reached out to accept her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir.”

Steve chuckled softly beside her and ducked his head a little as he shook her hand lightly. “Call me, Steve, _please _and it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Diana,” He agreed, smiling kindly at her.

She nodded, swallowing thickly. “Steve…thank you for your service,” She murmured, squeezing his hand lightly before letting go.

Steve made a soft noise of assent and his gaze flickered to his right when Bucky let out his held breath slowly. Diana’s gaze slipped back to Bucky and she let out a sort of nervous laugh. “I um…guess this is the friend that doesn’t like bullies,” She said weakly.

Bucky did laugh at that and he nodded nervously. “Uh, yeah. That’d be him.”

Diana huffed, but her eyes were trained on him and Bucky knew that she was _really_ seeing him now. “And you would be, James Barnes,” She said quietly, blowing out a very slow breath of her own.

Bucky did grimace a little at that, eyes slipping away to focus on something over her shoulder…finding the mirror above the bar. He tried not to let his gaze slip to her back reflected in the mirror and decided he’d better just look at her face; it’d be much safer. “That’s me,” He agreed quietly. “You can call me Bucky, if you want,” He added with a one shouldered shrug, unintentionally with his left shoulder.

Her eyes tracked the moment and he knew she was slowly putting all the pieces together, recalling the one glove he always wore, the way he kept his arm covered at all times…even the soft noises of machinery as the arm worked. She’d known he probably had some kind of prosthetic, but uh…not quite one like that.

She could currently, however, see the gleaming metal plates of his hand as he pulled it from his pants pocket to rest at his side. “Wow, I’m…it’s just taking me a moment to wrap my head around this,” She explained, casting Steve a bit of a worried look only for the blond to smile sympathetically at her in response.

“That’s alright,” Bucky explained. “We can give you some space if you-“

“_No-_“ She blurted. “You don’t need to go, _sorry _I-“ She shook her head and smiled at them both. “Can I make you a latte, James? Something for you as well, Steve?”

Bucky’s shoulders dropped and he smiled, breathing out roughly as he nodded. “That would be really nice, Diana,” He agreed, smiling at her in relief.

She beamed at him and nodded, turning her attention to Steve. “I know what James likes, but what sort of drinks do you like?”

Steve smiled, the tension leaking from his shoulders. “Um, I like lattes too, but not nearly as sweet as I know Bucky tends to like.”

Diana chuckled, nodding and heading for the espresso machine behind her. “He does prefer the sweeter things,” She agreed, a little teasing in her voice. “Do you have any flavours you like more than others? Like vanilla or perhaps dark chocolate or cinnamon?”

Bucky relaxed even more at the sudden turn of conversation and watched as Steve stepped up closer to the bar and leaned a bit of his weight on it. “I do like vanilla and cinnamon,” He agreed, smiling kindly at her when she glanced over her shoulder to acknowledge his response.

“Alright, I can definitely work with that. Do you prefer a stronger espresso or something lighter?” She asked, already working on grinding the espresso beans.

Steve hummed under his breath. “Maybe something a bit stronger, not that caffeine really does all that much for me, but I do like the taste,” He admitted.

Diana smiled at him and nodded, turning back to her task and Bucky was drawn to the way the muscles in her back flexed as she busied herself with the machine. Steve cast a quick glance to his friend, but Bucky was too focused on Diana and really, Steve could understand why.

“You know…Bucky’s been bringing us treats for a while now…am I to understand they’re from your bakery?” Steve asked, only a little teasing lilt to his voice.

Diana’s cheeks flushed at that and she glanced up in the mirror over the bar just as Bucky’s eyes swept up from her back to meet hers. “I suppose so, yes. James always did say he needed to feed his friends,” She agreed, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips as she continued to meet Bucky’s gaze before she finally turned back to her task.

“They were really good, I guess that’s why Tony decided to go for the whole _cafe_ theme for tonight,” Steve admitted with a chuckle.

Diana laughed lightly herself and turned around, holding out a fancy clear glass mug with the espresso and warmed milk with a touch of vanilla and spices. She set it down on the counter in front of Steve and then picked up the steamed milk she’d just finished using on Thor’s drink and carefully proceeded to pour a leaf design into the foam.

Steve gasped softly as he watched her, baffled by what she was doing. “T-that’s _beautiful!_” He exclaimed as she finished and they both watched as she positively lit up at the praise.

“Thank you, Steve. Um, Beckett, my youngest, he taught me how to do it and I’ve been practising,” She explained, blushing even darker as she glanced over to the table where Beckett and Carter were still happily conversing with the younger crowd, eating cookies and cupcakes and the like together.

Steve shook his head, watching as she sprinkled some cinnamon over the top and then shifted it across the bar top towards him. “This looks delicious. Thank you, Diana.”

She shrugged lightly and gave him a sweet smile. “It’s nothing, really. I hope you like it,” She admitted, glancing over to Bucky and giving him a soft smile. “Something sweet for you today?”

“Yes, please,” He whispered, unaware he was leaning in against the bar a little closer, feeling drawn in by her delighted eyes.

She nodded and with a little wink, turned back to the machine to start one for James and it was about this time that Carter came practically bouncing over with a giant smile on his face as he sidled up to Diana. “_Dy_, you’re not going to believe what just happened-“ He gushed, cheeks pink and a delighted grin on his face that had Diana momentarily startled because she wasn’t sure she’d _ever_ seen him look so freaking happy.

“Well, go on and tell me then,” She urged, laughter in her voice and Carter smiled brightly and opened his mouth to speak, only to catch sight of Captain _fucking_ America’s reflection in the mirror.

“_Oh my God-_“ He blurted.

Diana quickly realized what he was looking at and tried to hide her smirk as she poured some caramel sauce around the mug for James. She watched as Carter turned around, now practically vibrating in place as he came face to face with Steve Rogers.

“_Wow-_“ Carter breathed, bright blue eyes incredibly round as he looked up at Captain America. “Y-you’re-“

Steve took pity on him and thrust out his hand for a handshake, smiling all the while. “Steve Rogers, pleasure to meet you, son.”

“Oh my God, _son-_” Carter breathed, barely audible as he shook Captain America’s hand, cheeks absolutely beet red at this point. “It’s-it’s really incredible to meet you, Sir.”

Steve chuckled softly in his own embarrassment and Carter quickly snapped himself out of it, well, at least tried to. “I’m a big fan, Sir-“

Steve grinned at him a tad wryly. “Call me Steve, son.”

“_Oh my God,_” Carter said again, shaking his head as their handshake ended, not that he ever wanted to stop shaking hands with his childhood hero, no way. “S-sure, um you can call me Carter.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Carter,” Steve agreed, smiling kindly at the young man.

Carter made a very embarrassing noise of agreement before he glanced to Diana who had come up beside him and was busy preparing another drink…and then noticed James standing beside Steve. “_James-_“ He said in surprise, eyes widening all over again.

James laughed lightly then, smiling a little shyly as he looked between his best friend and the young man. “Hey, Carter. Having fun?”

Carter spluttered, glancing back to Steve. “Well, _yeah,_ I mean…I just met Captain America and all, suppose he’s your friend so the novelty has probably worn off by now.”

Bucky and Steve both burst out laughing at that and Diana tried to stifle the adorable nose scrunch she knew she was making as she focused on pouring a design on the top of James’ drink. “Sounds about right,” Steve admitted, still chuckling softly.

Bucky shook his head, still laughing. “Once you get to know him, it’ll wear off for you too, pal, trust me.”

“Yeah, he’s really not all that special, _truly_,” Came another voice.

They all turned to see Tony sidling up to Steve’s left and the blond grinned at his friend. “See, Tony gets it.”

Tony rolled his eyes but he was smiling as he turned his attention back to Carter and Diana. “So I see you’re settling in comfortably. How is everyone treating you? They’d better be playing nice or I’ll-“

“We’re just _fine,_ Mr. Stark,” Diana interrupted, smiling patiently. “Everyone has been very kind,” She insisted.

“Oh definitely, Mr. Stark,” Carted quickly agreed and Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“I’ve already told you both to call me Tony, _please,_” He insisted, not at all surprised when Diana didn’t.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” She said pointedly and the genius rolled his eyes. “Well, fine then. Be difficult. I just came over to grab Cap here because I need his help with something,” He informed them, smoothly linking his arm with Steve’s much larger one and tipping his head to the pair.

“Oh, okay,” Steve said, a touch unsure about what it could possibly be.

“It was nice meeting you,” Carter blurted and the blond smiled warmly at him.

“It was very nice meeting you too, Carter. I’ll come by the sweets table shortly and maybe we can chat some more,” He suggested.

Carter beamed at him, nodding excitedly. “Of course, of course, that would be great, Capt-_Steve._”

Steve smiled at him and nodded, Tony already drawing him away by the arm. “And _I’ll_ be back shortly for a latte, _Diana_,” Tony said pointedly, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She laughed lightly in response and they both watched as Tony started leading the pair away, waving lightly at Bucky. It was only when Steve slipped his arm from Tony’s grasp and instead wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist, leaning down to brush his lips against the brunet’s ear that Carter gasped softly at the sight.

“_Oh-_“ Carter breathed, _shocked._

Bucky shifted where he stood, glancing over his shoulder to see the couple pressing in close to one another, Steve’s lips brushing Tony’s ear and then Tony shifted, tipping his chin up and catching his lips in a chaste kiss. Bucky tried to hide his smile as he turned his attention back to Carter, his friends already disappearing through the doors to the bathrooms and he really didn’t want to think about _why_ they were going that way in the first place.

Carter was staring after them with the biggest look of disbelief he’d ever seen on a person and Bucky couldn’t help but smile fondly at him. “Yeah…they’re in the _honeymoon_ phase of their relationship, I think it’s called,” Bucky huffed.

Carter blinked, slowly dragging his gaze back to Bucky with a thousand and one questions in his eyes. “It’s uh…sort of new for them, not in the media yet or anything.”

Carter nodded slowly “Right…makes sense,” He whispered, voice hoarse.

Diana placed a gentle hand on his elbow, giving him a little squeeze and Carter jolted as if coming back to the present. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” He apologized. “I just, I didn’t realize-“ He shook his head, not really sure what he was trying to say.

Bucky saved him with a gentle smile. “It’s okay, Carter. Must be a bit of a surprise is all.”

“_A bit of a surprise_, he says,” Shaking his head. “I just found out that my childhood hero is probably bi or maybe gay and just _wow_, I’ve always looked up to him and I-well, he was sort of how I figured out I even liked guys in the first place,” He blurted and then his eyes widened in a panic. “I didn’t say that, don’t listen to me, you didn’t hear anything.”

Diana was snickering softly and Bucky was trying to stifle his amused grin as Carter floundered adorably in front of him. “Didn’t hear a thing,” Bucky agreed easily, watching as Carter swept a hand over his face in an attempt to quell the rising blush there.

Diana watched him, gaze growing fond and sympathetic as she bumped her shoulder lightly into his. “Why don’t you go for a walk, love? I’m fine here at the bar and Beckett is doing alright making friends,” She coaxed.

Carter chuckled softly, running a nervous hand through his hair as he turned to her. “I’m okay, thanks though. Actually, that’s what I came over here to tell you.”

“Oh?” Diana queried, shifting up beside him at the edge of the bar where Bucky was watching Carter just as curiously.

Carter laughed nervously, glancing towards Bucky and then back to Diana. “I um…well, there was this cute guy…he gave me his number.”

Diana was grinning like a loon by the time he’d finished talking and Bucky was trying hard not to smirk as he looked down at his latte, wanting to give them a little privacy. “And where, pray tell, is this _cute guy_?” Diana demanded, gaze already straying over to the sweets table where she’d seen Beckett and Carter chatting up a younger group not long ago.

“Don’t look-_don’t look-_“ Carter warned, but that only made Diana’s grin widen as she purposely gripped his shoulders and peered around the young man to get a look-see.

Bucky laughed when he saw that and Carter shot him a pleading look. Diana huffed, still smiling brightly, but Beckett wasn’t surrounded by the little group anymore and appeared to be talking to a young couple and when Bucky looked he identified them as Scott and Hope.

“Well, I don’t see any cute guys there, so I guess you’ll have to point him out to me later,” She sighed, all put-upon.

Carter breathed a soft sigh of relief as he nodded, smiling tentatively. “Sure, _Ma-_“ He teased and she smirked, nudging him playfully.

“Well, get back to work then, Mr. Stark isn’t paying us to stand around and chit chat,” She admonished, only a little.

Carter rolled his eyes but nodded, turning his attention back to Bucky. “It’s nice to see you again, James…um, I’ll just-“ He motioned awkwardly to the sweets table and Bucky smiled, nodding.

“You too, Carter. I’m sure I’ll be over in a bit for a treat myself,” He chuckled.

Carter smiled at him, nodding before he sat one more quick glance back to Diana, who’d shifted her focus to where she was tidying up the counter space and then looked back to Bucky. If he inclined his head towards her and waggled his eyebrows at Bucky, _well,_ that was between him and Bucky. Bucky tried to smother his smile with the rim of his mug as he took a sip of his latte, Carter slipping away with a smile of his own.

It grew quiet between them, Diana busying herself cleaning the already spotless counter while Bucky watched her out the corner of his grey-blue eyes. He wanted to speak, he could tell she wanted to speak as well, but clearly neither knew exactly what to say right then. So they let the silence build between them and though it was a little tense, a little uncomfortable, they were both still smiling shyly.

Diana seemed to finally grow tired of the silence and pushed out a rough breath as she looked up, lips parting as if to speak but she never got the chance. “_Hey_, Bucky!” _Sam_, of all-

Bucky turned, smiling broader as he caught sight of his friend approaching, Sam who was grinning like an idiot as his gaze swept over to Diana who had quickly turned her back to pretend to grab something from the opposite counter, only to return to him a second later.

“Hey, Sam. How are you?” Bucky greeted, letting his friend clap a hand over his shoulder as he sidled up to the bar beside him.

“Good, I’m good,” He agreed, still smiling as he came up to lean against the bar.

Bucky hummed under his breath, glancing over to where Diana had come back to see if perhaps Sam would like something to drink. He apparently would and soon she was busy making him a cappuccino while the two caught up, Sam casting quick amused glances between Diana and Bucky, waiting to see who would break first. Neither, apparently, because Sam was done waiting.

“So, you’re Diana from_ Diana & Co. _right?” Sam inquired and neither missed the teasing lilt of his voice, let alone his smile.

“Uh, yes, that’s me,” She agreed, blushing lightly when Sam turned his full smile on her then.

“I _love_ your muffins,” Sam admitted, a dreamy smile on his face.

Bucky barked out a surprised laugh and covered his mouth with his metal hand as they both watched as Diana turned bright red and sputtered a laugh of her own. “G-glad you approve,” She finally managed to speak, smiling at him as she glanced towards Bucky.

It was easier after that, to talk to her, Bucky thought. Sam was a good friend and he sparked conversation easily between them. He asked her about her shop, how she’d come to own it and when she first learned to bake. It was a rather touching story, Bucky thought and Sam too.

“I used to babysit a lot growing up. We lived in an apartment complex and our neighbours had a couple of boys that were always getting into trouble. Their parents were rather busy with work and well, so was my mum so I used to spend a lot of time with them cooking meals and such…baking sort of just started one afternoon when I realized there weren’t any cookies left in the cupboard…and it sort of snowballed from there,” She chuckled at the admission, smiling fondly down at the countertop.

“So you taught yourself how to bake?” Sam asked, having drained the last of his drink and was watching her curiously.

“Yeah, I mean, I had some recipes from my mum and before she passed, she um, taught me how to make cheesecake and a few other things…the rest I just picked up from books and the internet, really. I did attend a couple of classes, but my attention was needed elsewhere so I never graduated, but…I think I’m doing rather well in spite of that,” She admitted, gaze flickering over to the sweets table before looking back at Bucky.

“You are, I’ve never seen a cuter shop and everything you make is to die for,” Bucky admitted and they both watched as a light blush coloured her cheeks.

“Thank you, James,” She murmured, glancing towards Sam…who was looking between them with an all too knowing smirk on his face.

She tried to ignore it but ended up flushing a bit darker in doing so. “You should come by the shop some time, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of,” She told Sam lightly.

Sam hummed under his breath. “Yeah, I’ve actually been by it once before.”

Bucky blinked…and then scowled at his friend. Sam tried to ignore him as he turned his full attention back to Diana. “A friend and I came by once, it really is a cute shop you run, neat and tidy too and the food is delicious, so don’t worry, I’ll be by again.”

“Oh,” She said, surprise colouring her tone and Sam smiled. “Well, I’m glad you thought so too, I was starting to think James was a bit biased because of all the free sweets I keep giving him.”

Bucky barked out a surprised laugh, looking back to her. “Nah, doll,” He said sweetly. “I don’t keep coming back because of the free sweets.”

Diana blinked in surprise, his meaning made rather clear as he looked up at her through his dark lashes. She swallowed thickly and felt herself unable to break his gaze…until Sam cleared his throat and murmured, “Right, well, that’s my cue to leave. Glad I could be of help-“

Bucky smacked him lightly in the arm as his friend turned and started off across the room, waving lightly and smirking at the pair before he disappeared into the crowd. Diana was laughing softly under her breath and Bucky huffed a soft laugh of his own at the sound.

“I’m sorry about him,” He apologized, watching as Diana bit her lower lip and looked over at him. “I uh…I’m sorry for not…telling you who I was, either.”

Diana’s gaze softened then and she reached out to where Bucky had his left hand settled on the bar top near his now empty mug, carefully pressing her warm hand atop his, heedless of the metal. “You don’t have to apologize for that, James,” She consoled. “I’m not upset, it really doesn’t change how-well it really doesn’t change how I-“ She faltered, gaze slipping back down to the countertop between them and Bucky swallowed past the lump in his throat.

“H-how you, what?” He tried to prompt.

Diana inhaled shakily and slowly dragged her gaze up to focus on him. He watched as she seemed to square her shoulders. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you,” She barely dared to breathe.

Bucky tried to get a breath in, unable to look away from those dark eyes, the gold and caramel therein seemingly sparkling in the dim light of the room. “And how…do you feel about me?” He asked, voice nothing but a whisper.

They couldn’t seem to look away from one another, both waiting for something to give. Would she tell him? Would he be able to tell her?

“I like you,” She whispered, and it was so simple and yet entirely not.

Bucky’s breath rushed out of him and he felt his cheeks heating at the confession, probably in sympathy when he saw the way her cheeks positively _bloomed_ with pink. “I like you too,” He confessed and watched as her eyes widened and he knew her heartbeat had picked up, even from across the bar. “T-that’s, why I keep coming back.”

Diana glanced away, breaking their little staring contest and Bucky blew out a slow breath in an attempt to ground himself. “That’s…um, that’s really good to hear,” She admitted, glancing up at him through her lashes and Bucky’s heart felt like it skipped a beat.

“Yeah?” He asked, lips quirking up a bit.

She nodded, biting her lower lip as she regarded him, gaze sweeping over his frame. “Yeah.”

Bucky tried not to preen under the attention and instead licked his lips, knowing that her gaze snagged on the motion before he let her watch as he too swept his gaze over her. _Christ,_ but even her apron looked damn good on her. He really was screwed.

They were distracted a moment later as she was rushed with a few drink orders and Bucky bit his lip before nodding at her and slipping away so that she could work. If he kept shooting her glances from the sweets table and she from the bar, well, no one gave them shit for it; even if Carter and Beckett had caught on almost immediately.

The rest of the evening passed by easily. It really was a nice party. Bucky thought he had forgotten what it was like to feel relaxed in a room full of people, but somehow tonight wasn’t so bad. He knew just about everyone and trusted most, though some far more than others, obviously. They were friends and that’s what was important.

Steve and Tony had reappeared sometime later from wherever they’d disappeared off to, Tony looking immaculately put together as always and Steve looking a touch rumpled in his good suit. Bucky grinned at his friend, making him blush at being caught out, but the blond didn’t say anything about it. They eventually did make it over to the sweets table too and enjoyed some of the baked goods Diana had made. Tony was quickly busy chatting up Carter, learning that he was interested in computer science and the more mechanical side of things as well and Steve found himself talking to Beckett about his love of art and all the possibilities of different mediums and platforms for publishing nowadays.

Steve was enamoured, as was Tony and Bucky felt a pang in his chest, his heart swell a little bigger with love for the two young men. Those boys were special and he was secretly pleased that his friends had seen that win them too. “Have you applied to any colleges yet for the new year?” Tony was asking Carter and he looked curious, _sure,_ but there was something there that made Bucky a little wary.

“W-well I’ve been thinking about it,” Carter admitted, a touch reluctantly.

Tony merely raised a brow at him in question. “And I do want to,” He explained.

“I’m sensing there’s a _but_ there,” Tony added, watching the boy curiously.

Carter grimaced and no one missed it when he cast a quick glance towards the bar where Diana was chatting politely with Nick Fury and Maria Hill, showing them how to make latte art. Bucky tried not to grin too widely at that.

“I do want to,” Carter agreed quietly. “And I will, I have a good amount of savings for it, but I-Beckett and I aren’t sure we’re comfortable leaving Diana with the shop…it’s a lot of work for one person and she hasn’t, well, she hasn’t found the right people to work at the shop with her.”

“That might be because she hasn’t been actively looking,” Beckett sighed. “I know if we told her we were going to college, she’d be very supportive and find a couple of people to help her run the shop, but-“

“We don’t want to put any unnecessary stress on her, is all,” Carter explained.

“I may have a suggestion,” Sam cut in suddenly, stepping up beside Steve.

Carter and Beckett looked up and both shared kind smiles with him as they offered him some of the sweets. Sam waved them off…at first, and then helped himself to a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. “What’s the suggestion?” Steve prompted.

Sam glanced to his friend and then back to the young men. “I work down at the VA and we’re always looking for local business to take on veterans coming back from their time in the service. We help get them reintegrated within society, find their place here again and give them a chance at a normal life…I’m wondering if maybe Diana would consider partnering with us for something like that.”

Carter and Beckett’s eyes were both wide. “Of course she would,” Carter breathed. “She, she sends all kinds of leftovers to the homeless shelters and women’s shelters in the city, but she’s never needed extra help because she’s had us, so she’s never hired anyone before. W-we could definitely talk to her about reaching out to you.”

Sam smiled at the boys and nodded, gesturing with the now half-eaten cookie in his hand. “You leave that to me, yeah? I’ll chat with her, see if she’s interested first.”

“T-that’d be great,” Carter agreed, Beckett nodding eagerly at his side.

The conversation shifted again thereafter and Bucky glanced over at Sam as he disappeared back to the bar, no doubt to chat with Diana. This could be good for them, she could get some additional help and give the boys a chance to explore their future. Diana had done a lot for them, the way they spoke of her attested to that and Bucky thought their unwillingness to leave her to manage the place on her own was not something they were willing to do unless they knew she’d be left in good hands.

Bucky could understand that, his gaze slipping towards Steve and Tony, both of them still chatting with the boys about possible schools and programs…_Christ_, Tony was talking about the internships offered at Stark Industries…that couldn’t be good. The genius was clearly getting ahead of himself, not that it’d be the first time that ever happened.

“I um, actually met one of your interns earlier,” Carter’s voice suddenly filtered in to Bucky’s thoughts, drawing his attention.

“Oh, _Peter?_” Tony asked curiously, glancing around looking for the aforementioned Spider child.

“Y-yeah,” Carter agreed, his cheeks colouring a little and _oh,_ wasn’t that interesting, Bucky thought. “He was really nice, we uh, we were talking about the internship he has, said he loves working for you, Mr. Stark.”

Bucky tried not to smirk, turning his gaze away again to look at Steve who was smiling as Beckett showed him something on his phone. He realized soon enough that Beckett was showing him some of his digital art and he smiled to himself before slipping away from the group. They were just fine on their own and Bucky felt he needed some space, so he took a walk to the bathroom to splash water on his face. This whole evening had been a bit surreal. Having Diana and her boys in his home wasn’t something he’d woken up anticipating.

But, it had turned out alright, he thought anyway. If the smiles on Carter and Beckett’s faces were anything to go by, he surely wasn’t wrong. Diana looked happy too, smiling and chatting with everyone she made drinks for. She was a friendly person by nature, so kind and sweet. Bucky sighed softly as he made his way back out to the party, this time keeping back a ways so that he could observe her from a far, somehow, it felt safer that way.

He mingled for a while, chatting with Thor and Natasha, Clint too. They’d all made their rounds and Natasha pointedly mentioned Diana a couple of times while Clint tried to hide his smirk behind the edge of his drink and Thor _boisterously_ spoke about how wonderful his latte had been and how pretty too. Bucky had just smiled and kept the conversation as light as possible, ignoring Clint and Natasha’s knowing smirks as Thor then drew him into a conversation about the great tradition of _Halloween._

Soon they were conversing about their plans for the coming holiday. Apparently, Tony had arranged for them to visit a couple of schools and a Children’s hospital on the day of and each were looking forward to the venture. Bucky was a little confused as to why this was the first he’d heard of it, but Natasha told him Steve and Tony had been working on something and it was still sort of a surprise…so he’d better keep quiet and pretend not to know anything. He’d agreed, if only because the thought of ruining a surprise and seeing Steve’s sad puppy-dog eyes was just too much for his poor heart to handle.

The evening wore on and soon the guests began to filter out. It was nearing midnight and apparently that was everyone’s cue to exit stage left. Bucky headed over to where Steve and Tony were chatting quietly together and casting odd looks towards the bar where Diana was tidying up with Beckett’s help, Carter busy packing up their now empty platters and decorations a ways off.

“Hey,” Bucky interrupted quietly, glancing between them and immediately felt like he just stepped into something he shouldn’t have when both men startled at his presence.

He raised a brow curiously at their obvious flinch. “What’s going on?”

“Uh,” Steve said eloquently and Bucky’s brow only raised higher.

Tony huffed, turning his attention to Bucky and smiling at him sweetly. “Nothing of course, have you been to say good bye to Diana yet?”

“No…” Bucky said slowly.

“Oh, well then, maybe you should invite her up to the common floor for a couple of drinks? Think a few of us were going to top up upstairs. I’m on bar duty, apparently,” Tony chuckled, smirking as he looked over Bucky’s shoulder towards where Bucky knew Diana was at the bar.

Bucky blew out a slow breath. “I uh…could ask her…I suppose,” He said carefully.

He wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of having his friends play twenty-questions with her, but really…he sort of did want to get a bit more time with her. He hadn’t been able to chat properly with her because she kept having to make drinks for everyone. It sort of was part of her job so it’s not like he could fault her for it.

“On one condition,” He added, glancing up at Steve and then Tony. “You promise not to embarrass her.”

Steve smiled but nodded eagerly and Tony…Tony smirked. “No problem, Buckaroo.”

Bucky should have known better. He eventually found himself back at the bar, finally alone-sort of-with Diana. “Hey,” He greeted softly.

She looked up from her task and smiled brightly at him before she thought to stifle it. “Hey.”

“I uh, wanted to see if you’d be interested in having a couple of drinks with me and the others. A few of us are going to head up and I think Tony said he’s on bar duty, so they’ll be some fancy cocktails…if you’re interested…”

Diana bit her bottom lip as she let herself think about it, casting a worried glance to where Beckett was trying not to listen to their conversation…and failing. “Um…”

Beckett rolled his eyes, looking over at her from where he was cleaning the last of the glasses. “Carter and I can drive the van back and get everything squared away, Dy. Don’t worry about us.”

She huffed, glancing down at the towel in her hands. “I um…are you sure?” She asked him.

Beckett smiled at her, shaking his head fondly. “Yes, I’m sure. Go have fun, we’ll be fine,” He assured her.

Diana blew out a nervous breath, glancing back to where Bucky was smiling kindly at her, waiting patiently for her reply. “Okay,” She agreed. “I’d really like that,” She admitted, biting her lower lip and looking up at him through her long lashes.

Bucky tried not to swoon. “G-great, uh…do you need help with anything?”

She shook her head, glancing over to Beckett as he finished up. “Cleanup’s done,” He admitted. “Think Carter’s managed to pack up everything else, it’s just the two totes we have to bring down and that’s easy enough.”

“Alright, uh…I can ask someone to take you guys down-“

“No need,” Carter suddenly put in, having come over with one of their totes in hand. “Peter said he’d walk us down with his friends on their way out and…here they are.”

Sure enough, Bucky turned to look and saw Peter, Ned and MJ approaching. It only took a minute for the little group to get everything together and then they were saying good night, Diana kissing the boys on their cheeks before asking them to lock up. Bucky had offered to either drive her home himself or at least arrange a car for her and she’d agreed, letting the boys know she would be in rather late. Seeing as tomorrow was Sunday, the shop wouldn’t be open so they really didn’t mind.

Once they’d said their goodbyes, Diana having relinquished her apron to Beckett’s care, she turned to look at Bucky and found him smiling kindly at her, a light blush staining his cheeks. “Shall we?” He asked, voice soft and sweet.

Diana nodded lightly and soon they were headed up to the common floor to join the others, Bucky casting sidelong glances in her direction as they walked. “I should warn you…” Bucky started, unsure. “The Team can be a little rambunctious…”

Diana chuckled softly and smiled, reaching out to rest her hand lightly on his arm. His gaze followed the movement and he tried to suppress the shiver that wanted to escape at the warmth of her touch through his blazer. “Thanks for the warning, but I’m sure I can hold my own,” She assured, a teasing smile gracing her lips.

Bucky huffed, somehow he didn’t doubt it.

.

They’d gotten themselves settled on one of the sofas not long after, a few quiet introductions were given though Diana was certain she’d seen a couple of the Avengers before at her shop…not that she said that to any of them. She somehow figured out that Bucky had been keeping his visits to _Diana & Co._ a secret and she wondered at why that was but didn’t ask just then. Everyone was kind to her and they conversed easily amongst themselves when asking after her cafe among other things. Carter and Beckett were brought up numerous times and although she referred to them as _her boys_, the others seemed to realize she wasn’t their birth mother. Not that it mattered. She treated them as if they were her own flesh and blood and they looked to her just the same.

She was kind and funny and every time she spoke, Bucky found himself falling more and more for her. Seeing her so comfortable amongst his friends, his family…it really struck a chord with him and he found himself getting up and having to disappear to breathe for a moment or two. She was perfect in every sense of the word and though he knew that wasn’t possible, no one was perfect, he was also certain it didn’t matter. He disappeared over to the bar to pour himself a glass of water. It was absurdly late, but that was sort of the norm after one of Tony’s parties. He knew he’d probably drive her home soon and wondered how that would go…being alone in the car with her after they’d told one another they _liked_ each other.

He swallowed hard at the thought, taking a deeper breath as he busied himself at the sink. He didn’t remember ever feeling so strongly for someone before, not like this, but there he was letting his brain and heart get away from him again. He shook his head, glancing down at the glass in his hand and smiled. Maybe it was a good thing, Lord knows Steve would tell him so. The fact that he _wanted_ something, wanted _her,_ no less. He thought she might want him too, though…and that was…that was-

He glanced up, hearing footsteps approaching and turned around to find Diana approaching him with a kind smile on her pretty face, her head ducked low, one of her wrists caught in her other hand. She looked tentative, perhaps a bit nervous and Bucky relaxed, feeling much the same way.

“Hey,” She greeted softly.

“Hi,” He said, coming away from the sink. “Everything alright?”

She nodded, still smiling as she came up to the kitchen island and leaned against the countertop. “Yeah, um…your friends…they’re really something,” She admitted, a soft huff of laughter escaping her.

Bucky smiled, taking a seat on one of the stools there and attempted to stop his gaze from wandering over her curvy frame as she leant on the counter, the slope of her back on display. Talk about _somethings,_ that dress really was something. He blew out a slow breath and tried to think of a proper, _normal_ response, not _well aren’t you gorgeous._

“They are,” He agreed, patting himself on the back for his quick thinking. “I’m very lucky to have them in my life. They really did save me.”

Diana held his gaze then and nodded slowly. “I’m sorry,” She whispered, watching as Bucky’s brows furrowed in slight confusion. “For everything you went through. I know it’s not my place to apologize, I wasn’t-I didn’t have anything to do with it, but it doesn’t change the fact that you went through what you did and-“

“Stop-“ Bucky asked, cutting her off gently. “You don’t need to apologize. I know that some people…feel sorry for me, for what I went through, but it’s done, over. For good,” He said definitively. “But thank you, regardless.”

Diana nodded, having gone quiet for a moment and Bucky reached out with his flesh and blood hand and carefully placed it over where she’d had her hands folded on the counter in front of her. “I’m still sort of sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Diana smiled at that, looking down at their clasped hands. “Don’t worry about it, really. I feel bad for not knowing it was you. I don’t watch the news very much if I can help it…Beckett and Carter follow the Avengers on social media and _YouTube_, but I…just, can’t bear to watch those kinds of things, you know?”

Bucky nodded, his heart aching at the thought. “It’s hard to stomach, to see the kinds of terrible things in the world, I get it.”

“It’s not that I turn a blind eye to it, I’m not naive,” She explained. “I just…I guess I’m too sensitive, don’t like to think of all the bad people are capable of.”

Bucky nodded, sweeping his thumb over her knuckles soothingly. “You don’t have to justify yourself to me, Diana. I get it, I do.”

She nodded, looking up at him, her gaze searching. “Th-thanks,” She murmured, shifting one of her hands out from beneath his to lay atop of his. “I think just…taking care of the boys has made me want to distance myself from the things that take place in our time…not wanting them to be a part of it.”

“You just want to keep them safe,” He murmured, tone soft.

She nodded, gaze slipping back down to their hands as he slowly pulled his back. “They’ve been through so much already, you know?”

Bucky blinked. “Did-“ He cleared his throat, starting over. “Beckett told me that you are their Guardian,” He said tentatively.

Diana let out a puff of air and nodded, standing up a bit more and letting her hands splay wide over the counter in front of her. “Yeah…I am.”

Bucky nodded, ducking his head to try and catch her lowered gaze. “Can I ask…what happened?”

Diana swallowed hard and looked to him, searching his face for a long moment before nodding slowly. “When I was eight, my mum and I moved in to a new apartment…we made friends with a lot of the neighbours, including Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd a newly married couple a few doors down from us. They were kind, Audrey-Mrs. Shepherd-“ She corrected. “Was a professor and her husband-Craig-an architect,” She explained, glancing up at Bucky.

When Bucky simply nodded, she went on. “They were so kind to my mum and I, workaholics though, I think,” She chuckled softly. “They loved what they did and just…they put a lot of time into their jobs and that continued even when they got pregnant with their first son…Carter.”

“They loved that boy, so, _so_ much and when her maternity leave ended and she went back to work, I offered to babysit whenever they needed. My mum was a nurse and worked a lot of long hours and so…when I wasn’t in school, I was over at the Shepherd’s looking after Carter or doing chores at home and for them as well. They had Beckett not long after that and I started spending more and more time with the kids.”

Bucky nodded gently, listening to her intently. “My mum…she got sick right around my twentieth birthday…I…didn’t see it coming. Breast cancer and…she passed not long after her diagnosis. We just didn’t…catch it in time.”

“I’m sorry,” Bucky murmured.

She shook her head. “It was a long time ago…but, thank you.”

Bucky nodded, watching her patiently as she took a deeper breath and continued. “I’d been taking a couple of courses just before that and then when she passed…I stopped. I came into my inheritance soon after and I was able to keep the apartment. By then I’d stopped babysitting the boys regularly except for after school and sometimes when their parents went out on the weekends. I worked part-time as a bartender and waitress at an Italian place in the interim, but I made most of my money through babysitting the boys and even a few of the other kids on our floor before that.”

“There was one Saturday night when I was off from the restaurant I worked at and…Audrey called and asked me if I would be able to stop by and check on the boys. They’d been away for the day, her and her husband and had missed their train home. They said they were going to take a cab home instead, but they wouldn’t make it back until late. The boys were only supposed to be alone for a couple of hours, but now it might be might later and they were worried. I offered to go stay with the boys and make sure they hadn’t simply eaten junk food and soda for dinner and they’d thanked me and said they’d call the boys themselves to let them know.”

“I went to their apartment, made them dinner, we watched a movie together…” She trailed off and Bucky found his brow pinching in concern.

“They never made it home,” She murmured, gaze growing distant and Bucky regretted ever bringing it up in the first place.

He knew it must have been sad, how their unique family came to be…but not, not quite like this. “That’s terrible, Diana. I’m so sorry.”

She nodded gently, forcing a soft smile, even if it was a bit sad. “Yeah, it was terrible. But…I was able to formally adopt the boys…I couldn’t-“ She blew out a breath. “I couldn’t let them go into the foster system and be separated. I’d known the boys from birth and I had decent savings and a steady job. I’d been thinking of doing something, starting something for myself for a while by then and after everything sort of blew over…we talked about starting a coffee shop together and well, _here we are._”

“Here you are,” Bucky agreed quietly, drawing her gaze.

They were silent for a long moment and Bucky shook his head. “You’re a strong one, aren’t you,” He whispered, not bothering to hide the awe in his voice, nor the admiration.

She didn’t deny it, merely looked up through her lashes at him and smiled and it wasn’t a broken smile, wasn’t filled with sadness or defeat. Her smile was sweet and kind…accepting. “We all have to be strong for someone,” She murmured, her gaze slipping purposely from him over to where Steve was sitting, laughing at something Thor was saying, one of his large hands clasped over Tony’s as he let it rest against the blond’s thigh.

“Isn’t that the truth,” He breathed, voice barely above a whisper; he wasn’t sure she’d even heard him.

.

It wasn’t long after that before he announced that he was going to drive her home, Tony offering him the use of one of the cars in the garage without much thought. She’d thanked Tony for hiring her and hoped to see them around the shop more often. They’d all made promises to do so and twenty-minutes later they were pulling up around the back of the cafe. Bucky walked her to her door and while the ride hadn’t been quiet, now they were.

“Thank you…for bringing me home,” She managed, back to the door and keys safely in hand.

“It’s no trouble,” He admitted, smiling gently at her. “Thanks for joining us. I know everyone enjoyed your drinks and treats.”

“Speaking of treats…we, I mean, the boys and I. We celebrate Halloween every year by giving out treats and hot apple cider. We close the cafe around 3:30pm and set up a couple of tables outside to greet kids and such and I was wondering…if you and any of your friends would like to come by.”

Bucky blinked, caught off guard. “I know I’d love to,” He agreed, watching as her smile brightened that much more. “And I could definitely ask the others if they’d like to stop by. I think we have some prior commitments, but uh, what time would you be here until?”

“Close to 9pm,” She told him, gently rubbing at her elbow as she looked to him.

“I’m sure we can manage to stop by before then,” He agreed.

Diana bit her lower lip gently as she nodded, cheeks flushed with more than just the coolness of the night. “T-that’s great, I’d be happy to see you and I know the boys would be too.”

“I’ll be here,” He promised.

The silence grew between them for a moment longer then and she huffed, turning and fitting the key in the lock. “That’s great, well I should head to bed.”

He nodded, watching as she pushed the door open, but didn’t step inside just yet. “I hope you sleep well,” Bucky told her, keeping his voice down, not wanting to wake either of the boys.

“Thank you,” She turned then and leaned against the door, holding onto the doorknob. “Get home safely, James.”

Bucky swallowed thickly and found himself wanting to shift closer to her. “Good night, Diana,” He barely dared to whisper, watching as she slowly started to close the door, glancing up at his through her lashes shyly.

“Night, James,” She murmured and Bucky thought she looked reluctant to leave him…and then the door finally closed.

He turned away as if on autopilot and made his way back to the car. If he was smiling and blushing lightly as he slipped into the driver’s seat…no one save for Diana…whom he caught staring at him through the window at the bottom of the stairs, was privy to that information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How am I doing? xD Let me know what you think? I've unlabelled this as an unfinished work because I am actively writing it, even if the space between chapters is unfortunately longer than I'd like. <3 Hope you're still enjoying it though. n_n


	6. Chapter 6

The following week passed by without incident and Bucky was relieved to find that the tentative thing growing between him and Diana was not at all awkward after Tony’s party, to his immense relief. In fact, their feelings for one another had only started to show more blatantly and wasn’t that a thrill?

Bucky was beside himself. He didn’t remember ever feeling like this when he was younger and chasing skirts. Uh, not that he was chasing Diana for quite the same reasons. He liked her, like…_really_ liked her. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt that for a person before…uh, except maybe Steve, but that was different.

So, the week had passed by and Bucky flirted with Diana nearly every chance he got…now that he knew it was wanted. Hearing that Diana liked him too was…well it was quite something. To be fair…Diana flirted _back_, much to Carter and Beckett’s chagrin. Though, the boys had been incredibly supportive of them getting to know each other from the beginning and now was no different. They were beyond happy that she was doing something for _herself_ for once. They liked Bucky, he was kind and funny and _super badass_ in Beckett’s words and yeah, they liked him.

Though, their flirting with one another so blatantly was getting to be rather disgusting, even if they were happy she’d found someone to be happy with. Regardless, now it was her _pouting_ they were getting rather tired of.

“Would you relax already?” Beckett huffed and Diana glanced to him nervously.

“Sorry, it’s just that…it’s 6:30pm and he-he’s…”

“Not here yet,” Carter sighed and if he could roll his eyes any further back into his skull, he would.

“I’m sure he’ll be here, we’re not about to go anywhere for a while and he did say he’d be here. So, he’ll be here,” Beckett announced, turning his attention back to where a small group of trick or treaters were approaching.

Diana sighed deeply and nodded, turning and offering a smile to the parents who were marching along dutifully behind the small group to offer them some coffee. It didn’t take long to get wrapped up in conversation with the parents and their children, Beckett and Carter handing out candy to the kids, complimenting their costumes and generally just goofing off with them.

It was fun and all three enjoyed themselves, genuinely happy to see some of their regular customers visit and bring their kids along. Some of the adults were even dressed up and it always made Diana feel a bit better and not like a total nerd. She _liked_ dressing up for Halloween, she just…wished the boys didn’t insist on ordering her a costume that was two sizes too small. It was bordering on _indecent_.

She’d made the best of it of course and added a few things to make it less sexy, despite it still being a touch too sexy, she hoped she wasn’t overdoing it. She wanted to look good for Bucky, but she didn’t want to look _trashy._

“You don’t think this is too much?” She sighed during the next lull in foot traffic.

Carter rolled his eyes, _again_. “No, Dy, you’re fine. You even altered it so you wouldn’t be spilling over the bodice and I know I saw you sporting a pair of _Spanx _under that skirt so you’re golden.”

“Oh my _God_-“ She hissed. “I’m not wearing _Spanx_.”

“Could have fooled us,” Beckett laughed and Diana scowled.

“They’re just tight shorts, I didn’t want to flash anyone by accident,” She mumbled. “And why were you looking up my skirt in the first place?”

Beckett and Carter both grimaced and now it was Diana’s turn to roll her eyes. “Ew, no. You were bent over, I just happened to see your underwear, wasn’t actually _looking_,” Beckett huffed, grossed out, apparently.

Diana grumbled softly and crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance. “Not my underwear.”

Beckett rolled his eyes and Carter sighed deeply, “Booty shorts, then. If it’ll make you happy.”

Diana huffed and shrugged, annoyed and a little embarrassed over the whole thing. “Thank you,” She mumbled and turned away to avoid the twin looks of fond exasperation on the boys faces.

So of course that was when Bucky and the rest of the Avengers decided to make an appearance.

“_Holy sh-_“ Carter managed to get through before Diana spun on her heel and shot him a raised eyebrow and he silenced himself.

“What?” She asked him and he made a soft sound in the back of his throat before pointing over her shoulder and at the same time, Beckett breathed, “Oh _man._”

Diana turned around, concerned and confused as to what was the matter and came face to face with the Avengers…the…_actual_ Avengers. And _oh boy_, they really were dressed to impress.

“H-hi-“ Beckett managed to get out and then immediately started adjusting his costume, making sure he looked presentable.

“Hey, _oh wow_,” That was Captain America, like _The_ Captain America and Carter let out a small squeak behind Diana as the group approached. “I love your costumes!”

Diana blinked and let out a nervous huff of laughter as she took in the sight of Steve Rogers in his spangly iconic blue suit. Gorgeous and smiling, no cowl in sight today, but _damn_ he had the shield! Diana just knew Carter was going to fan-boy so hard in a minute.

“Thanks,” Beckett croaked and Diana nodded, nervous all of a sudden as she was faced with Iron-Man, Hawkeye, the Falcon, Black Widow, Thor, Bruce-he was wearing all green, at least-and Steve and…

“_Bucky_-“ Diana breathed, eyes wide in obvious shock. “_Wow, _your-_wow-_“ She said again and felt her cheeks go up in absolute _flames_ when the man grinned at her and then ducked his head slightly, looking up through his absurdly long lashes at her.

“Wonder Woman, huh?” Were his first words and she burst into a goddamn fit of _giggles_ before she could even _think_ about containing it.

His grin only widened.

“Y-yeah, I blame them,” She laughed, beyond embarrassed as she tipped her head towards the boys.

Bucky huffed softly and nodded, his grin softening into a warm smile and _oh_ but those crinkles at his eyes were _gorgeous._ “You all look great,” He told them and Diana knew she was blushing awfully but couldn’t seem to help it.

“Love the Jedi outfit, Luke, right?” Tony asked, sidling up to where Beckett was still trying to pick his jaw up off the floor.

“Y-yeah, he’s uh, he’s pretty cool,” Beckett admitted, a little too busy gushing over the Iron-Man armour and you know, the Black Widow looking dangerous and sexy in equal measure.

Diana huffed in amusement, gaze momentarily shifting to where Carter had come over to, apparently blush right to the tips of his ears as his gaze roved over Steve. “I’m so embarrassed right now, you have no idea,” Carter admitted and there were a few laughs as Steve reached out to place a gloved hand over Carter’s shoulder in a show of support as his gaze flickered over Carter’s treasured Captain America costume.

The kid had worn some variation of it just about every year since he was eight.

“I think you look great, pal,” Steve admitted, smiling and winking at the younger blond. “Think you’re missing something though, don’t you?”

Carter spluttered when a moment later Steve pulled his shield free of its harness and held it out to him. “Oh I-I can’t hold that-“ He argued, eyes wide and panic stricken.

“Of course you can,” Tony chimed in, grinning at him as he came up to pat the blond on the back and Carter almost-_almost-_fell forward with the strength of the suit only somewhat muted by Tony’s last minute restraint.

Carter laughed nervously and looked up into Steve’s smiling face and sort of melted a bit when he said, “Come on, son. Just for a minute,” and winked.

Carter shook his head but tentatively reached out with both hands and Diana watched in adoration as he took hold of the shield and just _looked_ at it for a moment, all starry eyed. She turned her attention to Bucky, however, when he took a closer step towards her, smirking and she bit her lower lip gently, nerves getting the better of her. She could hear Carter gushing over the shield close by and Beckett snapping pictures with his phone, but her attention was focused elsewhere for the moment while the others crowded in closer and they started taking pictures together.

There were a few kids and their parents around their little setup and soon enough the Avengers were being drawn into conversation with them and their kids, Beckett and Carter grinning like loons as they took turns holding the shield, then Clint’s bow and although they couldn’t lift Thor’s hammer, they definitely had fun trying…and taking photos of it all the while.

“I really like your outfit,” Bucky admitted shyly and Diana allowed herself a glance up at him, a nervous smile stretching her lips.

“Thanks,” She chuckled. “I thought it was a bit uh…_much_, but I guess it’s not so bad.”

Bucky shook his head, smiling genuinely as he let his gaze trail along her frame, starting with the boots. They weren’t anything overly fancy, a pair of rustic dark brown leather riding boots that ended just below the knee with a makeshift gold and red metal plating that stretched over her knees and down the front of each shin. There were a few bands of leather tied around her legs in several places to keep the guards on and Bucky couldn’t help letting his gaze slip up to where the edge of her skirt barely seemed to touch the top of her thighs.

It was a dark blue, almost a _v_ in front with side panels to allow for a larger range of movement, very similar to the outfit he’d seen in the latest movie featuring the superhero, in fact. There was of course her iconic _W_’s in gold on a belt at her waist and then that gorgeous red and gold bodice with more of that metal plating near the top featuring yet another couple _W_’s. It didn’t look gaudy or overdone and while she didn’t have Wonder Woman’s sword, she did have the lasso of truth pinned up at her hip, where his eyes fell to the guards she had along her forearms and wrists.

And then his eyes focused on the _tiara_ she wore, the gold looking like rustically aged metal that detailed the perfect star in the middle. He shook his head, rather beside himself as he finally met her gaze, those gorgeous dark eyes pinned on his and smiling shyly at him, her hair shifting lightly over her shoulders in loose curls and making him want to reach out and card his fingers through it.

“I think it looks great,” Bucky finally managed to tell her and she huffed a little, gently grasping her opposite elbow in a nervous gesture.

“I thought it was a touch uh, _revealing_. I had to modify the uh, top a bit when I got it. I didn’t want to look-“ She grimaced and shook her head. “Never mind, if you think it looks great, then it must be alright.”

Bucky laughed softly and shook his head. “It’s not too revealing, honestly. But aren’t you cold?”

Diana flushed lightly and scrunched her nose up a bit. “A little? I mean, it’s a bit chilly out, but I have a-well, a cloak if I need it.”

Bucky shook his head, smiling at her all the while. “What women are willing to do to look good,” He chuckled.

Diana huffed in amusement and smirked at him. “Mhmm and what about you? I love the new uniform, it is new, isn’t it? I’ve never seen it before.”

Bucky blinked, caught off guard. “You’ve seen my other uniforms?”

Diana stilled and then bit her lower lip nervously. “Well, Carter showed me the Avengers _Instagram_ page and there were a few photos of you and your outfits in those pictures just…looked different, is all.”

Bucky hummed softly and nodded, flushing as he unconsciously ran a hand down the front of his uniform. “Ah-“ He cleared his throat lightly. “Well, you’d be right. It’s uh, new, like…_brand new_. Steve designed it and Tony made it for me.”

Diana’s jaw dropped open in surprise. “_Really? _I think it looks amazing, I love the blue, it-it’s very striking,” She admitted shyly, gaze flickering over his frame.

And Bucky would admit that he maybe preened, just a little bit at the once over. He _did_ like the new uniform and was pleased to see that it was garnering some pretty amazing reactions. Today had been the first day he’d worn it and he found that he really did like it, felt entirely too comfortable in it, even.

“Thank you,” He breathed, smiling warmly at her, a light flush tinting his cheeks.

“You’re welcome,” She murmured, biting her lower lip.

His new uniform truly was gorgeous and _oh boy_ he was decked out, obviously missing the weapons, but his thighs alone could be considered as such and oh _wow, _Diana was in trouble. His muscular chest was encased in a navy blue material, kevlar or something similar, she imagined, though perhaps a hell of a lot stronger and where he had a sleeve on his right arm of the same material, he had nothing covering up the incredible technological _marvel_ that was his metal arm.

It was stunningly beautiful, shiny and silver, the plates so intricately designed and there was no infamous red star she’d seen in some of the very old photos of him online. Just smooth shiny metal reflecting the light being cast from the streetlamps around them. She shook her head, gaze falling to the way his dark tac pants stretched to the point of _bursting_ over his thighs and she forcibly suppressed a whimper…and then she caught sight of the empty holsters that appeared to be holding…lollipops? They were _taped_ to them. She couldn’t stop the bubbly laugh from escaping as she caught sight of them and Bucky’s own interested perusal of her outfit shifted to a wry grin.

She never did get to look at the boots unfortunately, too caught up on the fact that he had _lollipops _in his damn _holsters_. “Oh my God,” She gasped, giggling softly and absolutely beside herself with delight.

“Yeah…the kids at the hospital got a kick out of it too,” Bucky admitted, laughing softly too.

Diana’s laughter subsided but she was still smiling as her gaze softened into something Bucky couldn’t bare to let himself dwell on right this moment. “You were at the hospital?”

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly with the metal hand, hoping it would cool the heated blush he could feel rising there. “Yeah, Tony organized it. They always do something with the kids around the different holidays and this time we were at the children’s hospital downtown. It was a lot of fun, but also mentally draining, you know?”

Diana nodded, blowing out a breath. “Seeing kids in for treatment, injured and fighting? Yeah, I-I can understand that.”

Bucky nodded, smiling, but he looked tired. “Would you like some coffee?” She offered belatedly. “I could make you a latte if you came inside, we’re just um…just serving coffee with the fixings out here to keep things simple.”

He relaxed, smiling a little brighter. “I’m alright with coffee for now, maybe a latte in a little while.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that the caffeine really didn’t do anything for him. Perhaps she already knew and just wanted an excuse to get him alone in her shop…a man could dream, couldn’t he? Except…he wasn’t sure he was quite ready for that just yet. Getting close to someone was one thing…but being _intimate_ with someone? Yeah…he wasn’t ready for it. He tried not to let that bother nor discourage him.

.

The next couple of hours went by in a bit of a blur. There was more coffee, more sweets and bright smiles and happy laughter all around and it was just, _fun._ Ned, MJ and Peter ended up making an appearance and Diana watched with barely contained glee as Carter and Peter seemed to get on well with one another, the blond blushing and smiling while Peter did the same. It was _adorable_ and Diana truly couldn’t help from saying so when she caught Carter’s arm and dragged him into a hug when he’d been on his way inside to use the bathroom.

“You’re adorable, you know that? Peter seems sweet, you getting on well?” She probed, still holding him around the middle while his arms wrapped around her neck.

“Yeah, he-he’s really nice, Dy. He’s super smart too, it’s-well, it’s a little intimidating,” Carter admitted and Diana smiled, pulling back from their hug a bit.

“Don’t be intimidated, love. You’re very smart, you know that. Be yourself and you’ll dazzle him, don’t worry. Besides, he keeps checking out your butt, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” She told him, cackling manically as he pulled free of her hug, spluttering, “_Dy-_“ in an absolutely _scandalized _voice.

She could do nothing but laugh and grin, obviously pleased with herself as he shook his head, eyes wide and a bright flush to his cheeks, and then, “He’s got a pretty cute butt too.”

Dy cackled again and Carter grinned, bursting into laughter himself as he pushed her lightly out of the way of the shop’s door. “You’re a menace, you know that?” He chastised and shaking his head, disappeared into the shop, still grinning and blushing furiously.

Diana huffed, smiling as she turned around, her gaze falling to where Beckett was talking to Steve and Tony and showing him some of his artwork on a tablet and she wondered when he’d run to grab it. She was distracted by his happy smile and the way the two men praised his artwork, that adorable flush lighting up the boys face. She was so happy they were all getting along well and really, she shouldn’t have been surprised. These were nice people, _good_ people.

“Hey,” Bucky greeted softly, startling her out of her little bubble.

“Hey, _sorry_, was zoning out,” She chuckled, turning to face him properly.

Bucky’s gaze flickered along her shoulders and he bit his lower lip when he caught sight of the goosebumps breaking out across her skin. “That’s alright, uh, you look a little chilly…do you want to go inside for a few minutes?”

“Oh, um…yeah actually, that sounds nice,” She admitted, because she _was_ feeling a bit chilly and she wasn’t sure where her cloak had gotten to right then. “I can make you that latte if you like.”

Bucky turned to follow her through the shops doors as Carter made a break from the doorway to head back over to where Peter, Ned and MJ had gathered around Beckett, Steve and Tony. The others were busy chatting up a group of kids and though no one was really interested in the coffee anymore, the sweets were definitely a hot commodity.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” He protested and she smiled over her shoulder at him as she went inside, Bucky carefully closing the door behind him.

“Nonsense, it’s no trouble and I wouldn’t mind a bit of a pick me up myself, anyway. The boys and I usually put on scary movies when we’re done and uh, we can’t exactly sleep after, so…”

Bucky barked out a surprised laugh, shaking his head as he followed her to the counter which she promptly went behind and headed for _The Beast. _“That a tradition of yours?” He wondered, leaning gently on the counter by the register.

“I guess you could say that, yeah,” She agreed, pulling things together to make a couple of lattes. “We’ve got our traditional things like anyone else I guess. We like to set up an easter egg hunt around the shop for Easter with different colour coated eggs and it usually ends a couple months later when one of us finds the _missing egg_ on the back of a shelf or in the bottom of a bin,” She laughed. “At least they’re chocolate.”

Bucky chuckled softly. “What about Thanksgiving? Christmas?”

“Oh, on Thanksgiving we help out at the soup kitchen a few blocks from here and usually make a couple of stops to shelters in the area with baked goods and casseroles, anything we can put together really,” She admitted and Bucky’s gaze softened.

_But this _ ** _woman._ **

“And for Christmas, well…” She shrugged, her back to him and Bucky let himself look, let his gaze trail along her frame, admiring her curves and the sway of her curls as she moved.

She was so beautiful. _Sigh._

“I guess it’s a more quiet affair,” She admitted, having moved on to steaming the milk. “I make ham for Christmas Eve and turkey and the usual fixings on Christmas Day. We open a present on Christmas Eve and sit around the fire enjoying hot cocoa and sweets, listening to music and just…”

“Being a family,” Bucky murmured, voice soft and Diana looked to him over her shoulder, finished with the milk.

“Yeah,” She agreed, just as quiet and Bucky watched as she brought over the steaming milk and the espresso she’d poured.

“That sounds really nice,” He admitted and she smiled, pulling out a couple of mugs for them as she busied herself with putting together their drinks.

“It is,” She agreed, putting the finishing touches on their drinks. “We spend all of Christmas Day together, we bake cookies in the morning, relax the rest of the day and then have dinner. Sometimes we’ll put on silly Christmas movies, though we usually watch the Claymation ones first.”

“Claymation?” He queried and Diana blinked.

“_Oh_, it’s a form of animation. It’s an older form and the movies were made back in the 60’s I believe,” She shrugged a bit. “I used to watch them with my mum, thought the boys might like it and they did…now it’s just one of the things we watch together.”

Bucky smiled, gaze soft and adoring. “That’s wonderful, Diana.”

She seemed to relax at that and shared a private smile with him. “I’m sure you and the Team have your own traditions around the holidays.”

“Yeah,” He agreed, glancing over his shoulder to where the Team was still laughing and enjoying themselves outside.

They fell into quiet conversation for a while after that and Bucky wouldn’t have traded the time spent in their quiet bubble for anything in the world. Because he was _happy._

“Diana?” He called softly.

She’d gone to put away their mugs in the dishwasher and he just couldn’t resist it any more. The last few minutes had been ripe with tension, they’d gravitated closer, both leaning over the counter as they talked in hushed voices, for no other reason than they wanted to preserve their intimate space. And all Bucky could think about as she’d met his gaze, her dark brown eyes practically _sparkling_ in the dim lighting of the shop, was that he really, _really_ wanted to kiss her.

“Hmm?” She hummed and Bucky swallowed thickly, shocking even himself when he stood up from where he’d been leaning and went around behind the counter towards her.

She still had her back to him as she closed the door to the washer and Bucky drew his bottom lip between his teeth as he stopped only a foot or so away from her. He didn’t want to startle her, but apparently hadn’t thought far enough into his plan to approach her, so when she turned around, her eyes widening and her breathing hitching, Bucky maybe felt a touch bad.

“Didn’t mean to startle you,” He consoled, watching as she leaned back slightly against the dishwasher.

“It’s okay,” She was smiling and looking up at him with a tentative hopefulness shining in her eyes and Bucky pushed out a controlled breath as he willed himself to speak.

“I-please tell me if I’m reading this wrong…but I-I really, _really_ want to kiss you,” He confessed and watched in both immense relief and surprise as her lashes seemed to flutter against the tops of her cheeks before those gorgeous dark eyes were opening back up to fix on him.

“You’re definitely not reading this wrong,” She whispered and Bucky just…_stopped breathing_ when in the next moment she was stepping into his space and grasping lightly at the back of his neck.

She made a soft noise in the back of her throat as she tipped her chin up and Bucky watched, enraptured, as she leaned in that much closer. He couldn’t watch any longer, however, his own lashes kissing the tops of his cheeks as he settled a hand on her hip, his lips brushing so softly against her own.

And it was the single best moment of his life, he was certain. The warmth of her lips as they pressed a little firmer against his own sent heat radiating through him at an alarming rate. He must have made a noise and in the next moment he was reaching up with his metal hand and cupping her cheek lightly-_so damn lightly_-as he pressed in closer, kissing her harder.

She whimpered softly against his lips and Bucky could _feel_ her melting against him, both of her delicate hands coming up to grip at his chest and _God_, but he wished his tac vest wasn’t so damn thick. He carefully guided her back half a step until she bumped lightly against the counter and once Bucky thought she wasn’t at risk of melting into a puddle on the floor, he let the hand on her hip slide up to caress her side gently as he deepened the kiss.

It was tender and sweet, no frenzied need hidden beneath the surface, just a slowly building heat between them. It was _wonderful_ and Bucky tentatively parted his lips to swipe his tongue teasingly along her lower lip and she _whimpered._

They broke the kiss then and Bucky _marvelled_ at the way she pressed her forehead lightly against his in such a comforting move, the cool metal of her tiara cooling his overheated skin. They were both panting as if they’d run a marathon and Bucky wanted to shake his head at himself. He didn’t get _winded_ easily, what the hell?

“_Wow I-_“ Diana started, only to cut herself off with a huff of laughter, her hands still digging furrows into his tac vest while his hands remained on her.

He could feel the heat of her skin through his metal palm and with his flesh and blood grasping her side firmly, he could _feel_ the rise and fall of each breath as her ribs followed the inhalation. “_Yeah-_“ He agreed, smiling fondly as he finally opened his eyes, only to find her looking right back at him.

She blinked and he was instantly caught up in the glistening of her eyes, the fan of her lashes, the sweet pink of her cheeks and lips that were now spit slick and plump from their kiss. His breathing hitched as she swept a hand up along his chest to settle against the side of his neck, the gentle swipe of her thumb against the seemingly perpetual amount of stubble along his jawline, making the softest of _scritching_ sounds as she did so.

“I uh-“ Bucky tried to string together _some_ kind of sentence but really was having a rather difficult time of it and had to clear his throat again before continuing. “I really want to do this right, do right by you, I mean and I’d-well, I’d really like to date you, is what I guess I’m trying to say.”

Diana’s eyes lit up at the admission and those adorable crinkles formed as she smiled up at him shyly. “You want to date me?”

Bucky made a soft noise and lashes fluttering, pressed a chaste kiss to her perfectly pink lips. “Yeah,” He found himself breathing, the word nothing more than a whisper of sound against her skin.

He felt her shiver slightly in his grasp and he could _feel _her smile and just as she started to lean in, pressing her lips just that much more against his own, the door to the cafe opened, the jingle of the bell above the door startling them both.

They very nearly sprang apart, cheeks flushed at the embarrassment of being caught and both shot nervous looks to the doorway where Steve and Carter were coming inside, arms laden with the coffee carafes and now empty sweet trays they’d had outside. Naturally, they were both grinning at the scene they’d stumbled upon.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Steve said, not sounding nor looking sorry in the slightest, a big stupid grin on his face that Bucky really wanted to punch.

Bucky only blushed harder and grumbled softly under his breath, “No you’re not.”

Diana let out a huff of amused laughter beside him and Bucky glanced to her to see a _very_ gorgeous flush gracing her cheeks.

“We were just tidying up,” Carter explained, practically _beaming_ at the pair. “And we’ve been invited back to the compound to watch scary movies. What do you think?”

Diana’s smile brightened and she glanced to Bucky who was looking hopeful and nervous in equal measure. “I think that sounds great, is Beckett coming-“

She gasped, startled as much as the rest of them when an adorable golden retriever pup barrelled through Carter’s legs, nearly knocking the boy over in its haste to get inside. “_A puppy!_” Diana just about shouted, rushing around from behind the counter to practically drop to the floor in her haste to get to the fluff-ball.

The others laughed, smiling brightly as Diana wrapped her arms around the excited pup. “That’s Tucker, you know Mary? It’s her new puppy. Isn’t he cute?” Carter explained, coming farther into the shop to set down his parcels where Steve had stepped over to the counter.

“_Oh_, I didn’t know she was getting a puppy. Did she stop by to see Beckett?” She waggled her eyebrows and Carter laughed.

“Like you’re one to talk,” He teased and she blushed furiously, casting a glance over her shoulder to where Bucky had come out from behind the counter, smiling over her as the pup attempted to lick her face.

“Well, he’s adorable,” Diana sighed, scratching lightly behind the pup’s ears and squishing him happily against her chest as he squirmed in her lap.

Steve tried not to grin too widely when he heard Bucky mumble, “_You’re_ adorable.”

“_Tucker!_” Mary shouted outside and the dog bounced in her lap, head shooting up at the call of his name.

“I think you’d better get back to your mum, little one,” Diana chuckled, settling him back down on the floor as Mary and Beckett came to the door, the young woman laughing when she caught sight of the pup.

“_Sorry!_ He’s such a social dog, loves all the attention,” Mary laughed and the others chuckled.

“He’s adorable,” Diana admitted, getting up from where she’d been kneeling. “I wish I could have a puppy, I’ve always wanted one,” She sighed, brushing some of the fur from her costume with a shy smile.

“Aww, you should totally get one,” Mary laughed. “They’re so loving and I love going for walks with him, he’s so affectionate too.”

Diana smile remained, but it dimmed a little. “Yeah, I just don’t think I have enough time to look after a pup is all, but it was nice to meet him all the same. Are you both going with the Team to watch scary movies?”

Beckett nodded, smiling brightly. “Yeah, Tony invited all of us back. That okay? You’re coming too, right?”

Diana’s gaze softened and she nodded. “Of course, hun. I wouldn’t miss a chance at watching scary movies with you guys,” She admitted, gaze flickering to Steve, Carter and then Bucky beside her.

Bucky smiled gently at her, still a little embarrassed at having been caught out and he hadn’t exactly gotten a response as to whether or not she wanted to date him…though he was pretty sure he knew what her answer would be, he still wanted to hear her say it.

“_Great!_” Steve announced. “Did you guys want to pack a few bags? We’ve got lots of spare rooms and I would imagine we’ll be up pretty late.”

Carter had stars in his eyes as he turned to Diana with a pleading smile on his face. She shook her head, grinning fondly. “Yeah, okay. Might as well go change too and then we can join you.”

“You don’t need to change," Bucky said gently, aiming for nonchalance and missing by a mile.

Diana smirked at him, cheeks flushing adorably. “Uh huh,” She teased and he blushed even harder, glancing away from her to chew nervously on his lower lip.

There were a couple of snickers and they both shot each other shy looks before a few of the others were popping their heads through the door and letting them know that a couple of cars were on their way.

It didn’t take long before they were headed to the compound and Diana still hadn’t managed to give Bucky her answer, so of course Bucky was feeling a little jittery by the time they arrived. As a result, he was startled when Diana sat down beside him on one of the sofas, a blanket held tightly in her lap.

“Mind if I sit here?”

Bucky smiled over at her and shook her head. “I don’t mind at all.”

She seemed pleased with his answer and shifted back against the cushions as she fluttered the blanket out over her legs, now clad in dark jeans and a navy blue sweater. Bucky was willing to admit that he missed her Wonder Woman costume but he also really enjoyed seeing her look so comfortable next to him.

They’d settled on watching some of the old classics, so _Night of the Living Dead_ was first up and with the opening scene well under way, Diana shifted closer against Bucky’s side. His breathing hitched slightly at the press of warmth and he carefully glanced to her out of the corner of his eye, only to find her smiling at him kindly. He smiled at her back and was momentarily confused when she murmured, “I’d like that, Bucky.”

His heart felt like it was going to practically beat its way out of his chest when it clicked and he found himself unable to contain his own hopeful smile as he reached out to where she had her hands folded in her lap on top of the blanket.

He squeezed her hand gently and she squeezed his right back, smiling at him sweetly and blushing so adorably. He really was gone on her and it seemed that perhaps it was mutual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come chat with me on Discord! starbucksjunkie#9171
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